


When Pigs Fly

by BooksR4ever



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (Bellatrix only exists for one scene), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Lily Evans Potter, Baby Harry, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Mpreg, James Potter Being an Asshole, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape Friendship, Lily Evans Potter is a Good Friend, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Pettigrew Bashing, Peter Pettigrew Being An Asshole, Severitus | Severus Snape is Harry Potter's Parent, Severus Snape Has a Heart, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black Being an Asshole, Supportive Lily, Tags Are Hard, Time Travel, basically voldy is defeated by dumbledore in the future, maternal snape, mental concern of rape, no actual rape, paternal Snape too I guess, snape is in denial, somewhat ignorant lily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-13 18:43:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20587250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksR4ever/pseuds/BooksR4ever
Summary: Severus had always believed that romance wasn’t for him. Everyone else believed him to be filthy death eater scum, and he agreed, never fathoming the concept of someone liking him enough to actually pursue a relationship with him.Until one fine day in sixth year, when he finds himself with a small, adorable child clinging to his right leg, calling him Papa.





	1. The Dawning of the Arc

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic in this fandom! I love snames, and I also love snape being harry's parent, so I decided to write this. I couldn't think of a title, so I just randomly put one in, so I might change it during the process of this story.
> 
> I also am currently at university, and writing does not come easy for me, so I cannot guarantee any regularity to updating. I apologize in advance. I will update after I've proof read it. If any of you catch any grammar mistakes, please mention it.
> 
> That being said, please enjoy! Kudos and comments are welcome!

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, lost in thought, as most renowned headmasters do. In his tired state, he reached across his desk, opening a small jar and taking out a lemon drop, popping it in his mouth. It was nearing midnight. Most everyone would be asleep at this time, aside from the random professor, busy grading papers into the night. 

He sighed around the candy in his mouth, and was about to stand up and call it quits for the night when he felt it. He instantly looked out, all senses on alert, then looked down at his desk as everything around him began to shift. There was a change in the magical energy around him, with enough of an effect on the physical plane that it shook his desk, shifting trinkets left and right and leaving the portraits of former headmasters tilting from side to side, the painted professors swearing and yelling in fright. After a few seconds everything steadied, but Albus could not ignore the change in the magical atmosphere that he had felt. He needed to learn the cause.

While he was pondering the magical blast that had just occurred, outside his office, another muttered the password, frantic and out of breath, and entered.

Albus looked up at the guest. “Minerva. Good of you to come. I assume you are here to discuss the very same thing I felt?”

Minerva McGonagall stood by the entrance to the office, the stoic professor a mess, normally styled flat hair sticking out of her tight bun. She was breathing deeply, as if she had run all the way there. “You felt it too, Albus?”

At Albus’ nod she continued. “We must-”

“Please take a seat, Minerva. No use hovering over by the doorway,” Albus interrupted, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. Minerva paused, yet slowly found herself moving towards the closest chair and taking a seat.

“We must find the source of this as quickly as possible,” she started once again, repeating her previous thoughts. “We are both aware of how difficult it is to affect the magical energy in the air. It only occurs-”

“When something has taken place that affects time or space, right you are, Minerva.” Minerva, miffed at the second interruption, pursed her lips together as Albus smiled innocently at her, but his expression became serious as he began speaking again, quietly. “And you and I are aware of how terrible the effects can be to the present if the disturbance is not mended.”

Minerva clenched her jaw, nodding with determination as she straightened. “I assume I should alert the rest of the faculty? Ask them to keep an eye out?”

“No,” Albus answered. At Minerva’s questioning glare, he explained. “The ones that are awake currently will be alert and watching for the source. That should be plenty. The others we can inform once we figure out what the issue is. No need to cause panic so suddenly.” Albus waved Minerva out of his office, dismissing her with finality. “You know what you must do.”

“Personally, I believe this is important enough to _ need _ to inform everyone of this,” Minerva muttered as she rose, leaving the office while straightening out her hair, pressing it into her bun. Albus watched her exit.

“And that is precisely why I wish to let them be ignorant a little while longer,” Albus confided quietly, the room frozen and empty around him.

A week later, Severus found himself in the Great Hall, finishing up his small dinner as the other Slytherins ignored him, the spots surrounding him empty. He scraped his plate clean, and after debating whether to take more food or not, decided against, standing up and heading towards the doors, ready to head to the dungeons for the night. He stopped in his tracks, however, when he heard a familiar, unmistakable voice calling his name.

“Severus! Wait for me!” Lily called as she stepped over the bench of the Gryffindor table, bounding over to Severus. She smiled at him, grabbing the bag of books in her hand and swinging it over her shoulder. “We should go to the astronomy tower. I want to go over the potions essay with you, make sure that it’s acceptable enough to turn in.” She groaned as she remembered the painstaking memory of poring over book after book to write the damn essay.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Severus stated. “Slughorn likes you.”

“Yeah, but-” Lily continued, ranting about the impossible essay as Severus smiled sweetly at her. He still felt undeserving of her friendship, after what he said at the lake in fifth year, but he’s grateful for her company, despite the guilt he felt occasionally. After spending the rest of fifth year alone and miserable, along the summer with his alcoholic b*stard of a father, on the second day of sixth year the fiery redhead approached him after his charms class, dragging him off to the Great Lake, where she lectured him on his Slytherin friendships and how they were negatively affecting the person he is and could be, eventually ending with her hugging him, admitting softly to missing him as she then declared that she forgave him. 

From that moment on they were best friends again, Lily constantly hanging out with Severus despite the opinions of her Gryffindor friends. The Slytherins Severus had been hanging out with had begun to shun him once he befriended the muggleborn again, which didn’t bother Severus in the slightest. To him, the friendship of Lily was much more valuable than the company of those leeches, who only wanted him around to do their assignments, as he was a filthy half-blood.

He knew many of them believed him to be courting Lily, but this was blatantly untrue. While when he was younger he believed that he had felt romantic love for his friend, even resenting Potter since he started pursuing her, being away from Lily for so long enlightened him to the pure platonic feelings he felt towards her, and after they were able to spend time together once again, he was aware that he merely wished to keep the close friendship he had with the girl next to him. He still despised James though, since the Gryffindor’s bullying had not ceased at all, despite the maturity that_ should _ have taken place throughout the years at Hogwarts.

Severus broke out of his stupor, on alert, when he realized that he felt glaring at the back of his head. He sighed. “Lily, we should probably get going. I can feel someone angrily staring at me.” Lily squinted her eyes, turning and directing her gaze to the Gryffindor table, where she saw Sirius Black turning away abruptly and joining the conversation next to him, and James Potter smiling at her, ready to sit up and approach her. She broke eye contact and turned around before he’d think she wanted to speak to him. 

“Those barmy arses,” she muttered under her breath, glaring back at the table. “Let’s go, Sev.” The two walked out of the Great Hall, heading up towards the astronomy tower. 

“Hey, Sev,” Lily asked, clutching his arm. “Did you hear the rumors?”

Severus looked over at her, curious. “No, what rumors?”

Lily grinned, biting her lip, clearly thrilled at sharing the rumor with her friend. She leaned in close, as if sharing a secret. 

“Apparently, ever since last week, people have been catching glimpses of a _ child _ at Hogwarts!” Her excitement betrayed herself as she concluded, her bright green eyes sparkling as she looked at Severus, waiting for a reaction.

Severus looked at her, raising his eyebrows, then just looked around in disbelief. “Lily,” he started, highly exaggerated. “I don’t know if you _ realize _ , but we are at a _ school _. There are first years everywhere!”

Lily hit his shoulder. “Not first years! People said the child was like three or four. Definitely not an eleven year old!”

“So one of the teachers brought their spawn to Hogwarts, not a big enough deal to _ gossip _ about.”

“But that’s just it!” Lily exclaimed, eyes wide. “No one knows who this kid is!”

Severus sighed. “Lily, someone is clearly playing a prank on the school. Or some seventh year got knocked up a while back. The point is, _ someone _ must know the kid, if the kid really exists and isn’t the product of some nitwit that wants some short-lived publicity. ”

“But-!” Lily started, then stopped herself, huffing. “Alright, fine. We’ll drop it for now.”

“How about forever?” Lily smiled, crinkling her nose in contempt and nudging him.

After the topic was dropped the two chatted about classes, Lily rambling on about everything while Severus listened and interjected with disbelieving comments and witty remarks. It was when they were nearing the tower, in a hallway of tapestries, when something Lily mentioned made him pause.

“What did you say?” he exclaimed, eyes blown wide. Lily paused, confusion evident on her face.

“You mean… the test in transfiguration?”

“No, not that! You said you were studying in the common room, and _ Lupin _ was with you. What the hell were you doing with that tosser?”

“Oh,” Lily uttered, brows furrowed. “He asked to study together. We were studying the same thing, so I thought ‘Why not?’”

“Why not?!” Severus exclaimed, in disbelief. “I don’t know, maybe the fact that his group of friends have been tormenting me since first year because they’re immature little halfwit _ children _ that can’t handle a filthy half-blood _ slytherin _ being your friend-”

“You know just as much as I do that those four could care less about blood status!” Lily countered, hands on her hips defiantly. “And only Potter and Black torment you, Lupin has never joined in-”

“He didn’t bloody stop them either, even when he became a prefect,” Snape argued, disgusted sneer evident on his face. The two glared at each other in a silent battle.

Lily sighed, breaking eye contact and schooling her expression. “Look, I’m sorry. I know that you have bad memories with them, and it’s unfair to me to rag on your friends for hating ‘my type’, while I hang out with people that bully you for ‘your type’. I don’t want to break our friendship over this,” she expressed, bringing her hands up and using finger quotes at the appropriate times.

Snape’s features softened as he took in Lily’s words. “Alright, I agree. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just-” Lily gasped, cutting herself off, eyes widening as she looked down at the floor. Severus raised his eyebrow, but at her lack of willingness to continue, he grabbed her arm gently, urging her to continue with a pointed look when she turned towards him. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath, and then looked up to look at Severus in the eye.

“They’re not as bad as they used to be, right?” Severus just stared at her, shocked.

“What, so now you actually _ like _ Potter? After years of stalking you, he succeeded!?” he blurted out, half-serious. 

“Of course not!” the redhead proclaimed. Severus raised his eyebrows, expression of doubt on his face. Lily rolled her eyes and lightly shoved him. “I’m aware that he’s still an arrogant toerag, and I’d rather not see that mug of his for a long, long time!”

“Even though you think he’s attractive?” Severus prompted, smirking as he saw Lily sputtering, cheeks glowing red. He could see her attempting to deny, trying to formulate the words, but he was well aware of Lily’s physical types, which unfortunately Potter, the git, would be proud to know he was a part of. 

But unbeknownst to both, at this moment, something in the room shifted, as one of the tapestries was gently lifted and then replaced.

“Fine!” Lily admitted. “I consider him attractive. But that doesn’t change the fact that his personality is atrocious. I’d rather date the giant squid than that arsehole!”

Severus, satisfied at the reaction his teasing got from his best friend, let the smile drop off his face. “I know I’m teasing you now, but I truthfully don’t want you to get hurt.”

Lily smiled at him sincerely, the two starting to walk forward on their path again. “Yeah, I feel like Potter and I are not a good match,” she stated, shaking her head. “I have no clue why he’s after me so desperately. If he took a moment to stop and evaluate, he’d see that we’d be terrible together. We’re both way too headstrong.”

“You think of him too highly to think that he’d be capable of self-reflection,” Severus divulged, years of resentment fueling him as he rambled on about his oppressor. “Otherwise he wouldn’t have stalked you all this time and maybe he would have realized that he should _ befriend _ the best friend of his crush instead of bullying them. Face it, you’re a challenge to him. His ego’s so big that any possible love interest daft enough to want him would have to fall at his feet and worship him in order to deal with him.”

Lily hummed, looking away. "Who knows, maybe one day someone will come along and Potter will become a better person for them."

Severus snorted. "Just as long as that person isn't you,” he urged, completely doubtful. “If that idiot were to actually change for someone, then I look forward to witnessing the pigs flying around that day." He replied with the muggle phrase, to which Lily chuckled, hiding her laughter behind a dainty hand.

Just then, as the two walked, Severus once again felt a similar sensation to what he had felt previously in the day. He stopped, sighed deeply, then, raising his head, he turned around sharply.

“Sev?” Lily questioned, looking at the raven curiously. Severus didn’t acknowledge her, instead opting to take a deep breath in.

“Potter! Black! I know you’re there! If you’re going to hex me, just come out and do it, I don’t have all day to deal with your childish antics, and I just want to spend some time with my best friend, so come out and face me!” Severus panted after the outburst, breath heaving, hand clutching at his wand, waiting for the two Gryffindors to reveal themselves.

For a moment, there was only silence. But then, Severus heard shuffling, and then a tapestry at the end of the hall moved, pushing forward as someone made their way around it from where they had been hiding behind it. 

Lily’s jaw drop and her eyes widened, while Severus just stayed still, eyes wide and eyebrows high, frozen and unmoving, as they both stared at the person.

It was a child. Roughly toddler age, the child seemed to be male, from the male muggle cargo pants and faded large t-shirt with a tiger on it the child was wearing. The child had tanned skin, but not as tanned as Severus had seen people get after a day in the sun. They had messy, untameable hair that seemed as though it hadn’t been brushed in a while, in probably the darkest raven black shade possible. And then when the child looked up at the two frozen sixth years, he revealed the dark, near black eyes that sat hugely on the child’s anxious face, as the two watched him put his index and middle fingers into his mouth and began to suck them.

Lily broke out of her frozen state first, smiling gently at the boy and moving closer. Severus, who was still shell-shocked, glanced at her worriedly before fixing his gaze back at the child.

“Hi there!” Lily said gently, “I’m Lily, and this is Severus,” she introduced themselves, pointing to herself and then to Severus. “Can you tell us your name?”

The child didn’t say anything. He had looked over to Lily when she spoke and introduced herself, her bright nature drawing his attention, but once she introduced Severus, the child looked over and paused, eyes widening.

Severus was scared. He didn’t know why the child was so fixated on him. The child was even ignoring Lily’s attempts to grab his attention and get his name, instead focusing on staring at Severus. As Severus watched with rising uneasiness, the child broke out into a wide, face splitting grin, saliva covered fingers falling out of his mouth as he moved past Lily's outreaching arms and started sprinting towards Severus at top speed.

Severus had no time to react before the child collided with him, latching onto his right leg. “What the- Hey!?” Severus exclaimed, no longer frozen, as he looked down at the boy adamantly hugging his leg, the slytherin confused and shocked. The boy snuggled into the leg, hugging it tightly before looking up at Severus, smiling, and yelling something that left both Severus and Lily stunned, unable to comprehend anything.

“Papa!” the child yelled, looking up with an adorable smile at the Slytherin who had an expression of growing shock and horror displayed on his face.


	2. Big Changes Have Come

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so sorry this took so long (although, this is actually very quick for my posting records). I originally had thought that this would be shorter than the first, but I kept adding stuff to make this flow, which ended up in this behemoth (it's not even that big). 
> 
> Also, if you didn't notice from the first chapter, I am not British. I am American, and because of that I don't know much of the lingo. Please don't judge me, but if you have suggestions or tips for the language, please share them with me. Also tell me if there are any grammar/punctuation/spelling errors in this please. I'd highly appreciate it.
> 
> Also, while I do love Harry Potter, it has been a while since I read the books, and I never watched the films, so if there are any inconsistencies or plain wrong information, please tell me so I can fix it (ideally with how it is in the books/films).
> 
> Now, without further ado, please enjoy! Comment and Kudos if you can!

“Papa!” The child yelled once more, before letting go of the Slytherin’s leg and gesturing his hands up, a sign of wanting to be carried. “Papa!”

Lily was the first, once again, to recover from the shock, walking closer to the child, kneeling next to him and prompting him. “Severus is your dad?” she asked the child, who nodded vigorously, before returning to looking at his papa with outstretched arms. “Papa, up!” the child demanded. 

This shook Severus out of his stupor, as he startled backwards, staring at the child with fear and disgust. 

“There is absolutely_ no way _ this waddling snot machine is _ my _child!” he yelled, in complete disbelief. 

“Severus!” Lily reprimanded with a stern look on her face, effectively shutting him up. She glanced over at the child next to her, whose smile had faded as the child acknowledged the lack of a positive response from his papa. The child scrunched up his face, determined to get his way, before toddling over to the raven, hands still outstretched. “Papa!”

Severus took another step back in defense, causing the child to pause, his hands faltering and retreating back to his body. The child looked down sadly, then stomped his feet, looking up at his papa with tears in his eyes, making Severus’s supposedly black heart clench.

“Papa…” he said, voice cracking and tears falling out of his eyes. He took another step forwards, stretching his arms out towards Severus once again. “Papa, carry, pwease,” he sobbed, the words distorted by the sorrow in his tone.

Severus wanted to ignore the child gesturing to him. He wanted to forget this all happened. He wanted to go back in time and avoid going down this hall of tapestries, because then his life wouldn’t have gotten so much more complicated. He wouldn’t have this child in front of him calling him papa. 

However, despite everything he told himself and everything he tried to convince himself of, every single sound of despair from the child in front of him was making his heart clench, making him feel sick. He didn’t know why. All he knew was that he wanted this child to stop crying. Not because it was annoying, but because he didn’t want the child to feel this heart wrenching unhappiness (maybe a little because it was annoying). 

Relenting, the Slytherin moved forward and scooped the child into his arms, holding him to his chest. The child immediately stopped crying, grasping the raven’s cloak in his chubby hand, smiling lovingly up towards the Slytherin. Severus felt a strange, warm feeling in his chest as the child snuggled into him.

“I think he _ is _ your child, Sev,” the man heard from behind him. Severus spun around, surprised. Due to his attention on the child, he hadn’t noticed Lily moving to look at the child over his shoulder. 

“Look,” she murmured, gesturing to the child’s face, who had been curiously looking at the redhead. “He has your eyes.”

Severus turned his head to look closely at the child, who had turned his attention back onto his papa, and the Gryffindor was right: The child’s dark, midnight blue eyes matched Severus’ perfectly. Only the child had adorable big doe eyes, instead of the beady, pointed pair that adorned his own face.

Lily must have noticed the scrunch on her friend’s face as he contemplated their eyes, as she began to giggle. “Severus, I know exactly what you are thinking, and I already told you, you don’t have small eyes! In fact, your eyes are bigger than normal, and I will not have this conversation with you again!” she stammered laughing, walking to move in front of her friend. 

She leaned forward, attention on the child as she began to investigate. “So, Severus is your papa?” she asked again, leading her to her next question when the boy nodded. Lily bit her lip, grinning as she looked up at the raven, then looked back down to the child.

“Well then, do you know who your mum is?” Lily said, with the notion that she was being sly. Severus gaped at her, mouth open as he tried to formulate his thoughts.

“Lily!” the Slytherin whispered harshly towards her as she chuckled. Their attention was then caught when the child shook his head in answer to her question.

“I don't have mummy,” he said, moving to put his index and middle finger in his mouth and sucking. Severus and Lily made eye contact. Lily looked shocked, but then her expression twisted, looking very apologetic. 

“So you’re a single dad… I’m sorry, Sev,” She whispered, lost in thought, only meaning for her best friend to hear. However, the child overheard her, and he contradicted her around the wet fingers in his mouth.

“No! I have papa and daddy,” he said, grinning before resting his head on his papa’s chest, letting the fingers fall onto his papa’s robes, smearing saliva onto the black fabric. He was unaware of the effect of his words on the two students around him, who both swiveled to stare at each other in shock, mouths gaping.

“You’re gay, Severus!” Lily half yelled, not really asking a question of her friend. Severus merely looked shocked and confused. He subconsciously tightened his hold on the warm body in his arms, chin lightly resting in the tangle of dark soft hair as he pondered the information revealed to him. The child smiled, snuggling closer.

“I don’t know,” he answered, lost in thought, eyes dazed. “I guess I just never tried to figure out my preferences. I always thought I’d be… _ alone _… in life.”

“Well, clearly you won’t be alone, Severus,” Lily assured, smiling at him. “I mean, you are _ currently carrying your future child _.” She gestured to the boy in his arms, who giggled cutely, grabbing onto Severus’ robes with both hands as the Slytherin adjusted his grip. The boy looked up at his papa, giggling and smiling, to which Severus couldn’t help but smile back. Lily nearly cooed at the two of them. Until she realized the gravity of the words she had just uttered.

“Severus, I think we need to go to Professor Dumbledore,” Lily uttered. Severus looked over at her, in the process of moving the child onto his hip. “I mean, he’s adorable, and I’m so glad that we know that you’ll have him, but you shouldn’t know this. He shouldn’t be here. He needs to be back in his time.”

She gasped and looked up at her friend half-mockingly, hand going to cover her mouth in fake shock. “Unless-!”

“No Lily, I have not had _ any _ relations so far that could have even _ remotely _ resulted in a child,” Severus deadpanned, dismissing the thought. The child watched the interaction, chuckling at the exaggeration.

The two, or more accurately two with a third on one’s hip, headed for the Headmaster’s tower, cutting through secret passages at Severus’ wish to avoid other nosy students who would spread some nasty rumors if the two were caught. Soon they found themselves in front of the headmasters door, next to the gargoyle, as they debated passwords.

“It’s some kind of muggle candy, correct? It must be, the headmaster is crazy for those,” Lily debated, glaring at the gargoyle.

Severus raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think we need to guess every single sweet in the world, Lily. I’m fairly certain we can just knock.” 

Lily scrunched her nose, doubtful. Nevertheless, she lifted her hand past the gargoyle and rapped three times sharply on the door. The two waited several seconds with no response, but as Lily was about to turn to Severus and make a comment, to her astonishment the gargoyle jumped to the side as the door started creaking, the heavy door swinging inwards. 

The two entered, where they found the headmaster seated at his desk with Professor McGonagall standing over him with a stern expression on her face, clearly lecturing him on something. The conversation paused, the professor looking sternly for the interruption until her eyes laid on the child, to which her stern face melted away, replaced by trepidation. The headmaster’s expression did not change once he saw the boy. However, his eyes changed from lighthearted to serious. 

The two students stood up straight, anxiety rising in the presence of their serious professors. Severus held the boy tighter against him, moving the boy off his hip to his front once again.

The transfiguration professor cleared her throat. “Mr. Snape. Ms. Evans. Do either of you care to tell me why there is a young _ child _ in Mr. Snape’s arms?”

“Now, now, Minerva,” Albus interjected, smiling gently at the three opposite him. “We don’t need to intimidate them. They came to us because they had a concern they wanted us to hear. Why not let them speak?” He gestured to the students, encouraging them to talk. Severus steeled himself.

“Well, headmaster,” Severus started, wrapping his arm around the child as he thought about the scenario that the boy arrived in. “I was walking with Lily to the astronomy tower when I thought I felt someone else’s presence in the hallway. I told whoever it was to come out, but instead of another student, this young boy came out. And, uh…” Severus halted, tightening his hold on the boy even further, unconsciously seeking comfort.

Seeing his hesitation, Lily continued. “And the boy, well,” She glanced over to her friend. She took a breath in, then faced the professors again. “The boy called him ‘papa’.”

All the people in the room glanced over at the father son duo, neither of which were aware of the eyes on them. Albus smiled at the child, who shyly hid in his papa’s chest.

“Ahem, well,” Minerva started, drawing the attention to herself. “Would one of you please inform me of the child’s name?”

Lily bit her lip and made eye contact with Severus, who was looking at her with wide eyes. After Lily’s first inquiry with the child, which failed, being left unanswered, it slipped past both of their minds to ask for a name. 

Minerva huffed. “Honestly, can’t even ask for basic information. You two are supposed to be sixth years!”

“Now then, Minerva,” Albus said, quieting the professor. He gestured to the chairs in front of him. “Why don’t you three sit down? The young child can sit on Mr. Snape’s lap.” 

The two students sat down, Lily in the right chair and Severus in the left. Severus was carefully holding the child when taking the seat, but then he propped the child up against his torso in his lap, so the child had his back to him. He snaked his arms around the child’s middle, resting his head once again in the child’s soft, wild hair. Albus observed the two, then once they were finished sitting, with a gentle smile, he directed his attention to the child in front of him.

“So then, child. Do you think you could tell us your name?” Albus prompted, leaning forward on his desk.

The child was burying himself in his papa’s lap, sucking on his two main fingers. After a couple of seconds he opened his mouth and responded. “Hawwy,” he responded quietly, with a slight adorable lisp from his shy behavior.

“Harry? Such a nice name.” Harry smiled, around his fingers, at the headmaster, who smiled back with his own lopsided grin. “Now Harry, do you know how old you are?” 

The child nodded, but stayed quiet. The two students shared looks, attempting not to smirk at the lack of success (and failing).

“Could you tell us please?” Albus requested. Harry frowned in concentration, before holding out his spit covered hand, his other arm grabbing onto Severus’. With his exposed hand, he folded in his thumb and pinky, showing three fingers to the professors. “Thwee!” he cried, excited at informing others of his age.

“You’re three years old? Now do you think you can tell us about your home?” Albus inquired softly.

Harry frowned once again, but this time, it stayed on his face as he pondered the question. “Well, it’s big… and I have lot of toys! And the sun in the big woom feels so wawm! And-” Harry babbled on, but none of the information was relevant to the situation at hand.

“Alright child,” Minerva interjected, cutting of the child, who cowered back, eyes big. Her expression softened as she faced the child. “Do you know what year it is?” She asked softly, wanting to grab the situation by the roots.

The boy smiled at her, leaping slightly in his seat from excitement. “It’th 1983!” He answered enthusiastically, smiling broadly, excited at knowing the answer.

This brought a big reaction from the Slytherin. “What!?” he cried, in disbelief. 

Lily just looked astonished and confused, a strange mix of expressions on her face. “Only six years… that means that Severus must have the child, like, right after Hogwarts!”

“I don’t want a child yet!” The raven cried. He was clearly troubled by this piece of information. “I want to work in an apothecary, or in alchemy, after Hogwarts! I can’t do that if I have to take care of a child! I-”

“Mr. Snape!” Minerva commanded. Severus flinched. “Please think about where you are, _ particularly _ who is with you.”

Severus felt a small, warm hand press the exposed skin of his collarbone. He looked down to see Harry looking up at him apologetically. Once he got his attention, the child reached up and laid a gentle hand on his papa’s cheek, brushing his chin.

“You okay, papa?” the child asked softly, and Severus couldn’t help it. No one had ever given him the raw affection the child had in his eyes. The Slytherin's eyes softened, and he smiled.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry if I scared you.” The child was satisfied, sitting in his papa’s lap, facing the front, though still a little perturbed. 

“Now, young man,” Albus prompted. “Do you think you could tell us how you got here? What happened? Anything you remember seeing?”

Harry sat in his papa’s lap, comfortably, grasping his papa’s arm with one chubby hand while sucking the fingers on the other. But he did not attempt to answer. Severus, confused, gently grasped the child’s hand, rubbing it gently in his own.

“Harry?” Harry looked up at Severus. “Would you please answer the headmaster’s questions?” Harry looked down, contemplating, then shook his head in finality. He adjusted himself in his father’s lap, seemingly done answering questions.

The adults, plus two students, looked around the room, making eye contact. It seemed like they weren’t going to get anything else out of the child at this moment.

Albus cleared his throat, drawing the attention to him. “Well then, Minerva. Please go fetch Poppy for me.” With a nod, the professor left, her cape billowing behind her.

“Would any of you care for a lemon drop? Harry?” the headmaster asked, then directing his attention to the child in front of him. Instead of answering, Harry looked up at Severus, eyes sparkling.

“Papa, can I have?” Harry asked, shyly hiding in the raven’s chest when asking, attempting to hide how much he wanted the candy. Severus blinked for a moment, then seriously pondered.

“You can take one if you wish,” Severus responded. “But only one.” Harry smiled, reaching out to take the candy that was held out by the headmaster. He grabbed it with his chubby fingers, then pushed the sour candy past his lips. He smiled as the sweet taste of sugar filled his mouth.

Lily tapped Severus’ shoulder and started chatting with him, passing the time. Albus was simply watching the child enjoy the sweet with a soft smile on his face.

Harry, having been impatient and biting his candy into small easily swallowed pieces, had finished his candy. But as he sneakily attempted to take another one, have reaching out with anticipation, the door veered open. Minerva entered swiftly, being followed by the intimidating school nurse. Harry glowered in his papa’s lap, upset at the lack of another candy. His expression brightened as Severus wrapped a tight arm around him, however.

“Poppy, if you would, please,” Albus stated, suddenly serious as the nurse headed over to Harry, seemingly investigating the boy, tilted his head left and right.

“I’ll need to do a proper check up on him, of course,” Madam Pomfrey answered, directed at Albus. “However, it does seem like there are no physical issues from travelling through time, at least from a first glance.” 

“All right, Mr. Snape. If you could please hand the boy over to Madam Pomfrey. She will take care of the young lad during his stay here,” Minerva urged.

Severus picked Harry up, who face was scrunched up, confused at what was happening. Once he felt the hold of his papa loosening around him, and the grip of another around him, he was done.

The moment Severus let go of his hold on Harry, the boy started shrieking at the top of his lungs. He full on _ wailed _, tears streaming down his face in anguish as he pushed against Madam Pomfrey, attempting to get back to Severus. He squirmed heavily, nearly throwing himself out of the nurse's grip.

Severus' heart clenched when he heard the anguished cries, and before he knew it, he had moved forward and taken Harry back. He held him gently in his arms, holding the boy's head to his chest, running his hand through his hair. The child immediately stopped wailing, the only sign of the tantrum being the small sniffles coming from the boy and the wide, watery eyes as he buried his head into his papa’s chest.

Madam Pomfrey reached out in an attempt to try to take the child again, but she halted when she felt an old, calloused hand wrapping around her wrist.

“We can do the examination later, Poppy,” the headmaster stated. “Perhaps on a day where young Harry does not experience as much excitement as he did today. What we must discuss now would be which rooms would be suitable for the lad and Mr. Snape.”

“What!?” Severus exclaimed. “But I already live in the Slytherin dorms!”

“Yes, but we must take into account that the young lad does not want to be separated from you, and frankly I don’t think we could separate you two if we tried,” Minerva countered. Harry curled his fingers around the Slytherin’s cloak, squeezing his fist tightly. “And it would be much more beneficial for you to have a space of your own to take care of the child rather than a room with four other adolescent boys.”

“We have that old staff room, the one on the third floor that overlooks the Great Lake.” Madam Pomfrey interjected, having been simply listening to the conversation.

“Perfect!” Albus proclaimed. “Well, then, Mr. Snape. I will send for house elves to prepare the room for you and pack up your stuff.”

“But what about what Harry needs? I don’t have anything a child needs,” Severus asked, frantic. “And what about my classes!? You can’t expect me to skip my classes, I’m at the top of my year!” Severus grew angrier the more his concerns spilled out, ending with him glaring at the adults in the room, disregarding that they were his professors.

“The house elves will provide everything a child would need in the room, do not worry,” Albus calmly refuted. “And as for the matter of classes, it shouldn’t be a problem for him to accompany you. I plan on informing the other professors about this regardless. As for the school, I can make an announcement about the situation tomorrow in the Great Hall during breakfast. There are no classes tomorrow, so you can accompany Harry. Perhaps show him around campus tomorrow?”

Throughout the entirety of the headmasters proclamation, Severus stood there with his jaw agape, eyebrows furrowed in barely concealed fury. But as the raven was about to start a yelling match, he felt a tug on his cloak. 

Looking down into his arms, he saw the big beautiful eyes of the child, waiting to make sure his papa was looking before directing a big, joyful smile at his papa, before moving forward and wrapping his stubby arms halfway around his papa in the attempt of a hug. Once his arms were satisfyingly around the larger male, Harry once again directed the biggest smile at the Slytherin, who was simply flabbergasted.

Severus felt all his anger melt away from the radiance of the child’s smile, as he wrapped his arms tightly around Harry, returning the hug.

The two students stood up at the direction of the professors, who started herding everyone out. Albus summoned a house elf, giving the commands previously discussed, before sending the elf away. Madam Pomfrey left the group, having been away from the infirmary for “much too long!” (in her words). 

Once the remaining five had exited the headmaster’s office, Minerva sent Lily back to her common room, exclaiming that the issue no longer concerned her. Lily was miffed, until she was informed that she is able to visit Severus and Harry in the new room, to which her mood brightened heavily, strutting away from her friend with a mere “Good luck!”

The four left started up towards the new room, Albus directing them. However, they didn’t take more than several steps before Harry turned in Severus’ grip, asking for his attention.

“Papa!” He called, waiting for his papa’s attention. Severus halted, directing his attention towards the child. Just past him, the two professors also paused, waiting.

“Papa! We need to go back to woom of carpets!” the child uttered, adamant.

“Room of carpets…? Oh, the hallway of tapestries? Why do you need to go back there?” Severus asked, genuinely curious as to why the child wanted to go back there.

“My plushie is there. I need my plushie!” Harry stated, stubborn.

Severus just stared at the child, but as he looked up to see the small smirks on the faces of his professors, he knew what he had to do. “Uh, yeah, sure...” he said, uncertain, looking off to the side. The professors just smiled at him, to which he glared.

The three took a detour from their journey, making a stop at the hallway of tapestries where all of this started. Severus found himself hesitating unconsciously for a split second, before marching forward into the hall. 

Once they had crossed the halfway point Harry squirmed in his papa’s arms. Severus lowered him to the ground, where the boy started stumbling and running over to the tapestry he had first hidden behind. He disappeared behind it, then emerged, cradling a stuffed phoenix plush toy in his arms. 

As he approached Severus, he held his arms out, as the universal sign of wanting to be carried. Severus absentmindedly picked him up again, attention having been focused on the plush toy instead. Harry noticed, and he giggled cutely, hiding behind the plushie before pushing the plushy into his papa’s face. He laughed at the bewildered expression on his papa’s face, then snuggled into the raven’s chest, cuddling the plushie.

The three adults (or near adults, in Severus’s case) headed to the third floor, approaching the room that the father and child would be living in for an indefinite amount of time. Once they got to the room, the headmaster turned to Severus.

“Since this is to be your room, I will allow you to select your password for the door.” The portrait, which was of a young, beautiful blonde woman in Victorian-esque fashion, looked over at the Slytherin with disinterest, waiting.

Severus thought hard, despite his mind blanking on any terms, but once he felt slight shifting in his arms, and he looked down to see Harry asleep in his arms, babbling softly in sleep, he knew exactly what he would use. 

“I want the password to be… trust,” Severus expressed, shyly looking away, not making eye contact with anyone. However, he found his eyes drawn to the sleeping child in his arms, and as he started observing the boy, he smiled softly, brushing his chin against the soft dark hair.

Albus smiled as well, looking at the two. “Trust it shall be then.” He nodded at the portrayed woman, who rolled her eyes, but nevertheless allowed the wall behind her to swing open, revealing the contents of the room. “We will leave you here, Mr. Snape. We wish you the best of luck.” And with that, the two professors departed.

Severus watched them leave, then turned towards the doorway, taking a deep breath. He stepped inside, looking around the room with wonderment.

The room as a whole was about the size of his dorm room, which was amazing to him, since that housed five people, and this would only house one and a half. The walls were painted white and green. Not Slytherin green, Severus noticed, but a lighter, more pastel shade. But what really got his attention were the contents of the room.

There was one full sized bed along the back wall, fully made with sheets and more pillows that one person could possibly need. There was a nightstand to the left of the bed, which held a small night lamp on it. Near the nightstand, against the wall with the front entrance, was a desk, equipped with several drawers and a chair, inkpot and feather already placed on it. Opposite the bed was a large dresser, in a slightly darker shade of green than the walls. On the other side of the dressers, there was a decently large playpen, with a basket of plushies and toys propped up and ready. On the right side of the bed was a white door, that Severus assumed led to the bathroom.

Despite his desire to look through the contents of both the room and the presumed bathroom, Severus had a more pressing concern at hand. Namely the sleeping child in his hands. 

Carefully, as he tried not to wake up Harry, he shifted to holding the child with only one hand. Moving towards the bed, he pulled the blanket to the side, and using both hands, he gently placed Harry on the bed. He tenderly placed the blanket over the child, tucking it over him, not wanting him to get cold.

Severus then moved over to the desk, gently pulling the chair out to be as quiet as possible before sitting, gently moving the chair forward so he was level with the desk. He then placed his head in his hands, then slumped onto the desk as he pondered exactly what happened in the last several hours.


	3. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know who's terrible at insults? Me. You know what has a lot of insults? This chapter.
> 
> I actually managed to update this quickly. That being said, I don't know if I'm fully happy with this (insults are the bane of my existence). Also, a note, updates will most likely slow down from here, because my college has started and I had only fully planned the story until this point. I have a lot of ideas for what to do next, but nothing concrete.
> 
> Also, I don't swear, so when there's a swear word in this story, I replace the first vowel with an asterix (*). The words should still be clear, but just be aware that they're there.
> 
> Please enjoy the chapter! Comments and Kudos are always welcome!

Severus was enjoying the nice, soft bed he was in. He snuggled into the mattress further, content and happy. Before he remembered that the dorm beds were not soft at all. Before his eyes could shoot open from the sudden panic, he was interrupted by a sudden warm, heavy presence on his chest, that was actually making it hard to breathe. 

He separated his eyelids only to see the extremely hot mass on his chest, namely Harry. Harry’s face was barely an inch away from his papa, and once he saw that his papa was awake, he grinned broadly.

“Papa!” he cried in excitement, before moving forward and placing a sloppy wet kiss on what was _ supposed _ to be his cheek- he missed, spreading saliva over the corner of Severus’ lips instead.

Severus promptly sat up, jostling Harry off his chest and onto his lap, as he wiped off the saliva with his hand. He groaned on the inside when he took in his surroundings. He had hoped all the stuff from yesterday had been a dream. Guess not.

The Slytherin was going to make his way to the bathroom, but before he could fully get off the bed, he felt a tug on his cloak (which he forgot to change out of), and he looked back to see the child holding the cloak in his fists, kneeling and grinning.

“Papa! You up!” he cried again, excitement still not wavering. He held his arms out, wanting to be carried. Severus was about to deny him in favor of the bathroom, but then he stopped, debating. If he took Harry into the bathroom with him, he could get both of them ready quicker, and then he can relax for a bit before having to face the inevitable: breakfast in the Great Hall. With Harry.

Relenting, Severus picked Harry up, who started wriggling in excitement. He grabbed the handle to the bathroom and opened it, once again in awe at how large the bathroom was. He saw it last night when he tiredly brushed his teeth, but he didn’t really acknowledge it at the time. 

The bathroom did not follow a green theme, like the room, but rather a very soft, pastel purple and white. There was a large sink that could easily fit Harry inside if he wanted, with a stool underneath it, clearly for Harry to reach. The sink was surrounded by marble counter top, stretching a few feet in both directions. Several feet from it to the left was the toilet, already equipped with the child’s potty training seat on top. Severus furrowed his brow, annoyed; He’d have to remove the seat every time he needed to use it and place it back after he was finished. To the left of the toilet was the real masterpiece: both a shower and a large bathtub were ready to use, pristine, with different soaps and shampoos lining the inside of both.

Severus placed Harry on the counter top, then leaned down. “Harry, tell me honestly, because I will be very upset if you lie to me, and I have to deal with it later. Do you need to use the bathroom?” 

Harry, still grinning up with joy at his papa, shook his head. “No potty!”

“Are you sure?” Harry nodded, wiggling on the counter. Severus sighed.

“Alright then.” And then Severus stepped away from the boy, grabbing his toothbrush and swiftly brushing his teeth. He then place the stool in front of him, picking up Harry and placing him on it. The child’s chin just barely reached over the edge of the counter top. Severus first handed the toothbrush to Harry, but after a few moments where it was clear that Harry had no clue what to do, the raven snatched it back, opening the child’s mouth and brushing it himself.

_ God, what is my future self doing? _ He thought to himself as Harry was rinsing his mouth. The ramifications of what he had just said didn’t register until a moment later, where he took a step back in shock, gasping softly and covering his mouth.

Severus couldn’t believe what he had just admitted. Does he now think that Harry is his child? That’s what everyone has told him so far, but he never truly accepted it. Until now apparently. Is it true? Does he feel parental responsibility and, daresay, _ love _ for this child? As Severus glanced at the child, who was hopping off the stool, face wet as he rubbed his hands on his face in a clear imitation of his papa, he felt a warm, deep feeling start in his chest, spreading throughout his body to the very tips of his fingers. He could feel himself involuntarily smiling at the child. And that scared him.

Severus absentmindedly continued his tasks, mind focused on that one realization. He stripped Harry of his clothes, bathing him as the child giggled and squealed at him, slapping the surface of the water and getting them both sopping wet. He dried Harry off with a large, fuzzy green towel, before placing the child in a Slytherin green sweater top with black trousers and shoes. 

Previously he had been surprised when he found this article of clothing in the wardrobe, but now, as he draped the child-size black robe on Harry, he admitted that the child looked adorable in it. The boy’s hands barely poked out of the sleeves, and the robe went all the way down to the floor, swarming him. 

Severus then took a bath himself, after leaving Harry in the playpen with all the toys. After he came out fully clean, he approached Harry, kneeling down and watching him introduce a rag doll that looked strangely similar to Arthur Weasely to his phoenix, making them out to be best friends. 

Severus just wanted to let Harry play, but he knew that if the two of them arrived late to breakfast, everyone would stop and stare at them. Severus would get the least stares (at least all at once) if he was one of the first people there. Cemented in his decision, he picked Harry up out of the pen, ready to head out to breakfast. Harry, content to just be with his papa, snuggled into the Slytherin’s chest.

Severus made his way down to the Great Hall, pointedly looking down at the ground as he walked, avoiding the few people lining the halls. He could see, however, the slight glances of people towards him that transformed into full on double takes as they registered the situation he was in. He could feel the people staring at him in shock as he walked past them. 

Once he got to the doors of the Great Halls, he swung them open as quietly as he could, entering and making a beeline to the Slytherin table. There were roughly 15 to 20 people there, spread out across the tables, with only a few professors present at the head table. Severus somewhat regretting coming so early, because then any smaller noises would be louder and more noticeable. There was a steady stream of chatter within the Hall, but once people heard the door open and swerved to look, the noise suddenly quieted, the room becoming completely silent. Everyone stared at the two.

Severus quickly sat down at the edge of the Slytherin table, ignoring all the stares from around him. He propped up Harry in his lap, before getting both himself and Harry a plate of food.

People started feeding into the room as breakfast continued, and Severus was correct: While there were a good many people that noticed him and Harry (mostly other Slytherins that had to pass by him to sit at the table), the majority of others didn’t. He knew that the people who had seen him would spread the word, but it wouldn’t be the big whiplash that would have occurred if he had arrived late.

Severus and Harry had continued to eat throughout the entrance of people, finishing before everyone had made an appearance. Despite Severus’ desperate desire to dash out of the hall with Harry, he knew that he had to be there for Dumbledore’s announcement. He just stared at the table, occasionally paying attention to Harry’s whims while he waited for the headmaster. 

Regulus, someone Severus would consider an acquaintance but not a friend, was one of the last people to enter. He spotted Severus, but clearly seeing the other person in the Slytherin’s lap, he had the most bewildered expression on his face, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He sat across from Severus, and opened his mouth to ask about it before he was interrupted by the Headmaster’s clapping.

Once everyone had entered the Great Hall, sitting at their respective tables, the Headmaster stood up and clapped three times, quieting the students and bringing the attention to himself. Once everyone was looking at him, he smiled, lowering his hands and bringing them together.

“Students of Hogwarts,” he began. “I am aware that about a week ago a rumor began that a child was present at Hogwarts.” The crowd tittered, unaware of why Albus was bringing it up. “Well, I am here to inform you that the rumor is indeed true.” Many students gasped, surprised. “We have determined that the child hails from the future,” and here even more students gasped, before turning and attempting to chatter quietly with their friends about this revelation. 

“...And while the staff and I attempt to find him safe passage back home, he will be taken care of by Severus Snape.” Here was the biggest reaction from any part of the speech. More than the knowledge that the rumor was true or that the child is from the future. No, everyone was most shocked that, out of anyone that could take care of the child, it was _ Severus Snape _ that was selected to. Everyone, even the people who saw that Severus had the child with him veered their heads to observe the pair, eyes nearly bulging out of their heads when they could see it with their eyes. Severus did not see the initial reaction of everyone, attention being drawn to one of Harry’s antics, but after feeling the uncomfortable sensation of everyone’s eyes on him, he glanced up, eyes widening before he pointedly looked at the table, avoiding everyone’s stares.

“For those in Mr. Snape’s year, please understand that the child will be brought to all of Mr. Snape’s classes for an indefinite amount of time. That will be all for now. The other staff and I will be having a meeting currently to discuss this. I leave the Head Boy and Girl in charge.” The headmaster concluded, sitting down and peacefully placing food on his plate, before standing up and leaving with the other professors in tow, like he didn’t just unleash a bomb on the students. 

The chatter was replaced by hushed murmurs, as everyone continued to glance every other second at Severus and the child. As everyone watched, the other Slytherins attempted to get some more information out of Severus or the child.

“Why in Merlin’s pants do _ you _ have to take care of the child, Severus?” Regulus asked, pointing at the child with the prongs of his fork, disturbed by this turn of events. Harry attempted to grab it, but his chubby hand fell short.

“There _ is _ a reason, but-” Severus didn’t complete the response, instead moving to stop Harry from climbing onto the table in chase of the fork, pulling him back against his chest.

“Why is the child with _ you _ , for Merlin’s sake!” Bellatrix screeched from down the table. “Surely any other person could _ take care _ of the brat! Why was he pawned off on _ you _!”

“Well, Madam Pomfrey did try to take him away from me, but-” Severus retaliated coolly, but was interrupted by the child in his lap.

“No!” the child cried, clearly upset by what the raven was saying, his cry bouncing off the walls and drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Before Severus had a chance to calm him down, Harry finished his thought. 

“I wanna stay wiff Papa!” the child yelled. The sentence echoed around the Great Hall, leaving everyone in shocked silence, mouth hanging open. The silence gave way to loud whispers, as people moved to discuss what they had just learned.

“_ Papa _?” Regulus asked, appalled. Severus just shrugged, not making eye contact.

“I guess I’m his..._ father _...in the future,” he uttered slowly, tone of incredulity and disgust in his voice. 

But anyone watching the two (which was basically everyone) saw how, after answering, the Slytherin’s face softened as he looked at the child, and how he tightened his hold on Harry, who clutched onto his papa’s arms. They saw the Slytherin place his chin in the child’s hair, clearly seeking comfort, and the child reciprocating and _ smiling _ , and they were all astonished. Severus had always been the sallow, brooding wallflower, but now people saw him _ taking care of a child _. It was like whiplash for all of them. However, a lot of students were disbelieving of the friendliness of the duo, leading to nasty remarks and gossip.

Severus, feeling awkward and uncomfortable, decided to leave for the room to get ready for classes. He was used to being constantly ignored or, when he was bullied, being constantly laughed and jeered at. Having people curiously stare at him so openly was new, and it made him self-conscious in a way he had never been before. 

He picked up Harry, holding the child across his middle as he started hastening towards the door. He was interrupted, however, when he heard a taunting voice from across the hall.

“Hey, Snivellius!” Sirius called, strutting towards the pair, broad smirk present on his face. On his right was Peter, twitchy yet seemingly very eager. To his left was James, then Remus. James seemed disinterested, but the smirk on his face told Severus very clearly how he truly felt. Remus, on the other hand, was actually disinterested, holding a book in front of him and ignoring his friends.

_ He pretends he doesn’t see anything happen while he walks around with that shiny prefects badge _, Severus thought bitterly. He scowled, wanting to turn around and leave, but he knew that it’d be less of a hassle to let them verbally abuse him. They wouldn’t try to physically bully him and put the child at risk, so only words would be thrown, which Severus could deal with. 

Despite his thought process, however, Severus unconsciously turned Harry so he was completely facing his torso, holding his waist securely with one arm while using his other hand to protectively press the child’s head into his chest. Harry, having been toying with his papa’s cloak, did not see the four people provoking the raven before being held against his papa’s chest.

“Oh, lookie there, a little lad!” Sirius taunted, cruel smirk on his face as he saw the child Severus was carrying. “Where did you get him from, Snivellius? Make a horrid potion to make some poor woman hand hers over? Because I can’t believe any broad would ever let your slimy *ss f*ck her!”

Severus sneered at the Gryffindor, disgusted. He moved his hand slightly, attempting to cover Harry’s ears while still shielding him from the marauders. “I know you don’t have a shred of human decency, Black, but I would have thought even a gormless b*stard like you would know not to use such foul language in front of a child.”

“If that child is yours, then it must already be used to everything foul that exist in the world.” Sirius retaliated. “He has to _ smell _ and _ feel _ that disgusting hair of yours. Tell me, boy, how does it feel being that close to the filthiest man on earth? Must be pure torture.” Harry nearly turned, thinking that he was being addressed, but Severus stopped him with his hand. 

Sirius, not noticing the child’s action, continued his barrage. “And I still can’t believe any self respecting broad let you be on top of them. Even with a love potion, which would work for any other person, any woman would fight off the effects once they even _ saw _ you, let alone letting you _ bed _ them! It definitely wouldn’t last long enough for anything that would lead to a _ child _.”

Severus stood up straight, raising an eyebrow towards the group. “Didn’t you hear the headmaster? I am simply taking care of this child until he is returned _ to the future _. But I understand that your minuscule brain couldn’t register that piece of information, Black. I really pity you.”

Black’s smirk was wiped off his face, and he gritted his teeth. “You must be deaf then, because I clearly heard the child calling you papa just a while back. Despite my disgust, he must be a Gryffindor. It takes a lot of courage to admit that he’s your spawn. I wouldn’t be able to.”

“Well I always did think you’d been misplaced, Black. Perhaps a new house meant for students that never matured past toddler age? Who knows? Maybe you’d actually be considered to be a prefect there!”

Sirius clenched his fist, wanting desperately to reach for his wand. This is how it always worked. The group would taunt the Slytherin, who instead of acknowledging his imminent defeat would retaliate and insult the Gryffindors, who were clearly better than the slimy git, so they’d hex the Slytherin and put him in his place. It was the plan that always worked.

But the child threw everything out of whack. Sirius couldn’t hex the Slytherin despite his maddening unruly insults because the Gryffindor would never risk hurting a child. He wasn’t a _ Death Eater _.

While Sirius was bathing in his rage, a twitchy voice came from next to him, restless. “T-that child would have a much b-better life in the future if he was taken away from you and given to a family that had the emotional capacity to _ care _.” Peter said, wide grin on his face at having delivered the insult.

“I could say the same to you, Pettigrew.” Severus spat out, unaffected. “And if we’re done here, I’d like to leave, so that I can actually _ prepare _ for my classes instead of winging it like you lot. Wouldn’t want even the slightest similarity to imbecilic trolls.”

“Well maybe we should take that child away from you before he becomes a Death Eater! We can’t have the constant spawning of new Death Eaters. But, if he is truly your blood, that child is clearly predisposed to evil. Evil spawns evil after all. Well then, he’s hopeless! He’d be better off if we make him a _ squib _.” Sirius pushed past the line with this insult, which he was aware of. He just wanted to cut into Severus, make him hurt.

Severus’ nostrils flared, alerted. “Do not say anything about the child, Black! As can be clearly seen from your lot, apples don’t fall far from the tree! I hear that your mother is horrendous. You must be so proud to be following in her footsteps. But despite my _ Slytherin _ background, at least I have the decency to-?” But Severus was cut off by wriggling in his arms, his attention moving down to Harry.

What Severus didn’t realize was, as he became more and more immersed in the fight, he had let his focus move off of the child in his arms. His hand on Harry’s head had become looser, not holding as tight, giving the boy the chance to move his head. 

The child had turned around and looked at the attackers.

Once he saw the quartet, Harry twisted his torso so he faced the front, alarming Severus who had to adjust his grip to not drop him. Harry enthusiastically thrust his arms out, grinning, and he said that one word that left everyone in the room in shocked silence. 

“Daddy!”

Severus’ jaw dropped in horror. As everyone watched, the child leaned out towards the four, arms reaching out in search of his other father. Severus blanched.

_ No, it can’t be _, he thought, before he moved his head to see who Harry was addressing. He felt like he was moving in slow motion, as his line of vision left the child and moved up, pinpointing onto a certain bespectacled Gryffindor, who looked extremely alarmed at the attention from the child. Sirius was just staring back and forth from the child to James. Remus had taken his attention off the book, staring wide eyed at the Slytherin. And Peter just looked aghast at James, staring in disgust.

Severus couldn’t handle it. There was no way James was the other father. _ No way _!

Severus abruptly turned the child back around, picking him up and placing him on the ground. Severus kneeled, before grabbing Harry firmly on both shoulders. “Harry, listen to me,” he said, voice serious and unwavering. “I need you to answer me, and I need you to answer me _ truthfully _.”

He paused for a second, getting his bearings for a second before spitting out the demand. “Now tell me, what is your _ full name _?”

Harry just stared at his father for a moment, before grinning widely, excited at knowing the answer to the question his papa was asking. With a big flourish of his hands, Harry answered.

“Hawwy James Sevewus Potter!” the child exclaimed. The declaration echoed around the Great Hall, having been deadly silent previously.

Severus couldn’t breathe. He just stared in shock at the child, hands limp on the boy’s shoulders. As he looked at the child, he could see a whole bunch of realizations open up in his view. 

Severus had noticed the dark eyes and dark hair that would originate from himself, but now he could see how much of a perfect mess the hair was arranged in, akin to a certain Gryffindor. And the skin, though slightly lighter than the seekers (most likely due to how pale Severus was), resembled the other sixth year so much. And even slightly the structure of the face, despite the child being a toddler, was visible. It was almost a wonder how no one had seen it so far.

The raven could feel his throat dry, mouth hanging open. He could feel his body tremble uncontrollably, hands trembling as he loosely held onto the child. He could feel the way it felt like his heart had fallen into his stomach. He felt immensely sick. His stomach was rolling, and he felt nauseous. He couldn’t handle anything. He couldn’t see, or hear, anything. He couldn’t move in the slightest. He was both mentally and physically stuck.

Severus didn’t notice any of the other stares around him. Nor did he notice James Potter approaching him. It wasn’t until James reached a hand out for the child did Severus notice him in his peripheral view, snapping back into action. 

Severus jumped away, grabbing Harry and shielding him from James with his body. He had his side to James, head tilted towards the Gryffindor. Harry was pushed into his papa’s chest once again, but he could see this time, eyes peering curiously over his papa’s shoulder.

“Don’t touch him!” Severus cried, panicked. James halted, expression of irritation on his face. 

“Well, according to him, I am his father too! And I should have a right to my son!” James demanded, eyebrows furrowed. He was still in disbelief that he’d ever have a child with _ Severus _ of all people, but if the child was his… he wanted to see him.

Severus flared his nostrils, gritting his teeth, eyes wide as he stared at James. The Gryffindor, confused at the hostility radiating from the Slytherin, took a preservative step back. Severus took a deep breath in, filling his lungs with air in preparation.

“He is _ my _son, and you will STAY AWAY FROM HIM, POTTER!” Severus hollered, the sentence raising in volume until he was screaming at James at the end. With a whip of his cloak, Severus swerved around and ran out of the room, leaving everyone else in shocked silence.

“What the?” Sirius uttered, walking forward and placing a hand on James’ shoulder. He chuckled. “Who would have thought _ he’d _ be the broad?” he glanced over at James, expecting a reaction, but with no response, his hand fell off the other’s shoulder and Sirius’ smile changed into concern. “James?”

James hadn’t moved, still staring at the place that the Slytherin had stood moments ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh My God, Severus finally admitted that Harry is his son! *cheers all around*


	4. Effect of the child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, you guys are the best. This story now has the most kudos, hits, and comments of any story I've written. After only three chapters! And oh my god, the last chapter got THREE PAGES of comments. I have NEVER gone over one before! Thank you guys so much for your support! It brings me so much joy every time I read your comments.
> 
> Despite that, it has been a long while. And I'm actually coming here earlier than I planned. There was supposed to be the whole next scene in here as well, but as I continued writing, seeing the lack of time I had to write prompted me to push that to the next chapter. Plus, I seem to write waaayyy too much in chapters. You know I had originally planned to have each chapter be around 1000 words? This chapter is more than double that.
> 
> I'd like to mention an Alternate Universe detail that was brought to my attention by Trickster32. I had originally thought that the Shrieking Shack incident happened later into their sixth year, so I didn't mention it, since this is set at the beginning of sixth year, about a month in. I was informed, however, that it takes place in fifth year. So, just to mention it, in this au the Shrieking Shack incident didn't happen.
> 
> Another thing is that I worked in something proposed to me by Blacksunangel, into this chapter. However it does include a trigger warning. WARNING: There are concerns of rape in this chapter. There will be no actual rape in this fic. They are merely possibilities developed by a teenager going through an awful crisis. They are not graphic. However, if you do not wish to read that content, you can skip the paragraph that starts with "Severus tightened his hold on the child, fists clenching..." Thank you for your understanding.
> 
> Another thing I'd like to mention is that, as I was reading back on my previous chapters, I realized that I wrote that Harry's supposed to be three years old, but I've been writing his speech like he was one year old. I went back and fixed it a bit, so his speech should be a bit more formal now. He'll still have a lisp in certain cases, don't worry.
> 
> Also, there are most likely going to be errors. If you could mention any contextual or grammatical errors you catch in the comments please, it'd be much appreciated.
> 
> That being said, I apologize for taking your time with these long notes. Please enjoy the chapter! Comments and Kudos are always welcome :)

The Slytherin rushed up the stairs, tightly clutching Harry in his arms as he sprinted towards the room they occupied. Once he reached the portrait, he managed to heave out the password, eyes dazed, a horrified expression visible on his face. The blonde gave him a pitying expression before swinging the door open, and Severus rushed in, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding the passive but curious child in his arms.

Once he was in the safety of the room, with no eyes on him (as Harry was currently held in a way that he couldn’t see his papa’s face), the raven began to sob, the tears falling down his face as he let the realizations of the day’s events swarm him.

There had been so many times Severus had obtained something that made him hopeful, something that gave him faith in the world. And every single time it reached its fruition, it was stolen from him, robbed from him, by a certain bespectacled, messy haired Gryffindor seeker. 

And once again, it had happened. The world had given him a child, a beautiful, unbiased being who loved him for  _ him _ and who looked at him with those wide, innocent eyes filled with unbridled feelings of affection and care. But then finding out that the child was James’, that it was their child together, crushed Severus’ heart. Severus felt like his heart had been crushed beyond repair, like the blood the heart was supposed to pump was spilling out, spreading everywhere and tainting it with its dark, unyielding color. Once again, his light and hope was ruined and tainted by the knowledge of the Gryffindor’s looming figure behind it.

Severus took a choked breath in. He didn’t know how it would happen in the future, how the two of them were able to make a child, how they were together. He brushed his cheek against the child’s hair, seeking comfort in the soft tendrils, but it also resulted in anguish as he was reminded of just from whom the child got his messy hair from. 

Thoughts began to swerve in his head, imagining how on earth this would happen, doubtful. Even if they were together in the future, it’d most likely be in a toxic relationship full of hatred behind the scenes, while putting on a happy face in front of the child. But Severus couldn’t fathom how on earth he would have even gotten with James to begin with. 

Severus tightened his hold on the child, fists clenching as he thought of a horrifying yet very real possibility: what if Potter had raped him? But even as he thought this, he asked himself, why  _ him _ ? Why the Slytherin the Gryffindor hated with a passion of all people? But the reminder of their roles and attitudes towards each other led him down a path. Maybe one day at the end of seventh year, or even a little further out, the two run into each other. Potter would hex him, but instead of being satisfied with just using magic to torment the Slytherin, he decides to use the ultimate “punishment”, the ultimate way to scar Severus. And then, when he finds out about what his sordid act had created, he forces his way into the “family” because of his desire for the familial bonds. Maybe that’s what will happen.

Severus was taken out of his state of fear when he felt a small pressure on his collarbone. Taking a gulp and collecting himself, he looked down, towards the boy in his arms who was looking up curiously at the raven. Once Harry got Severus’ attention, the boy reached his hands up and gently placed them on his father’s face, hands cupping the cheekbones. Slowly, while his father just stared at him, the boy moved his thumbs to wipe the tears from under his papa’s eyes.

“Papa, don’ cry,” they child said, looking up into his father’s eyes. He smiled innocently, broad and sincere on his face. “Papa is cuter when smiling.”

Severus just stared at the child in front of him, in disbelief. In a matter of seconds, he began to tear up again, hugging the child tightly as he attempted to get his tears in check. This time, it wasn’t tears of despair and fear. No, rather, it was tears of disbelief and pure, loving emotion. 

It didn’t even matter if the child’s other father was James anymore. This child was the most beautiful thing in Severus’ life. He didn’t know what would happen in his life to give him this child, but he would go through all of it as long as he could hold this child in his arms by the end. 

Harry got more panicked as he felt his papa crying again. He racked his brain for ideas of how to cheer his papa up, and as he settle on the best one (in his opinion), he wiggled in the Slytherin’s hold, loosening the grip and slipping out of his papa’s lap. As Severus watched, the child darted towards the playpen, waddling all over the oversized black coat, before grabbing his stuffed phoenix and dashing back to his father. Harry climbed back into his papa’s lap, kneeling and facing him before thrusting the plush toy out.

“Papa! When I am sad, I have Hawky! I hug him and I feel all better!” Harry determinedly pushed the toy into Severus’ chest, not letting go until the raven’s hands moved up to grasp at the toy. When his papa didn’t do anything, Harry huffed. “Hug ‘im, papa! You will feel be’er, I pwomise!”

Severus laughed under his breath in disbelief, before going along with the boy’s antics and squeezing the doll tight, closing his eyes. While he does admit that he felt a little lighter after he hugged the toy, it was when he opened his eyes and saw the beautiful wide grin on Harry’s face that he truly felt like his heart was healing, a smile making his way on his face as he looked at the child. He could feel his chest warm up, and as he gently wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him into a hug again, he finally admitted exactly what he was feeling, to himself.

“Harry,” Severus uttered, still smiling. The child looked up at his papa in response. “Please tell me that you are  _ aware _ that the bird is a phoenix, and not a hawk?”

Harry just grinned broadly, biting his lip in what he believed to be mischievousness. “O’ couwse, papa, I know!” he stated in a sing song tone, moving his head back and forth as he answered. He then chucked loudly, increasing in pitch when Severus began to tickle him gently.

Severus’ attention was taken away from the child in his lap by a soft knock on the door. 

“Sev?” a soft, gentle voice called through the door. “Is it okay if I come in?”

Severus rubbed at his eyes, roughly wiping away the tear streaks along as he answered. “Yeah, you can come in,” he said, making sure he was loud enough for the portrait to hear him.

As he looked over, he saw the door gently open, and a familiar head of red hair poking through the opening.

Lily entered the room, no emotion on her face. However, Severus could see the depth of emotion she felt in her eyes, as she dropped to her knees next to the pair and engulfed them both in a tight, warm comforting hug.

“I’m so sorry, Severus,” she lamented, attempting to prevent her voice from trembling as she blinked back her tears. “I know I said that those four,  _ he _ , was getting better, but that was towards me, not to you. They treat you like cr*p, make your life miserable, and then you find out that you have a child with that- that  _ toerag _ . I’m so sorry.”

Severus stayed silent, just squeezing her back in the hug, arms wrapped securely around her. “It’s okay, Lily. I- I don’t know how on earth it happens, but I know-” and Severus halted, looking down to see Harry wriggling out of the tight hug he was sandwiched between, uncomfortable, before looking up at his papa and smiling brightly at him. Severus smiled back, fondness in his eyes. “I know that I’d go through it if I get Harry.”

Lily moved back from the hug, staring wide eyed at Severus, before breaking out into a huge grin. “So does that mean that you’ve accepted Harry as your child? That you are his father?”

Severus grinned back, not answering, but that was enough for the redhead as she wrapped his arms around them again. This time from joy.

As the two were hugging and smiling, a young child was looking up at his father quizzingly. His papa wasn’t crying anymore, but he wanted to make sure his papa would always smile. He could see that his papa scowled a lot more than usual, though he was smiling more already, but Harry wanted to help him.

Severus felt a tug on the front of his robes. Unwrapping his arms from around Lily, he peered down to see the child looking up at him. Smiling down at him, Severus threaded his arms around Harry and picked him up on his lap, so that Harry was leaning on his chest. “What is it, Harry? What do you want?”

Harry bit his lip in an attempt to conceal his excitement, before discarding the act and smiling broadly up at his papa. “Papa, can we see Daddy?”

The gentle smile was wiped off of Severus’s face in that instant. Looking over the boy in shock, he made eye contact with Lily, who’s green eyes were also widened in shock.

“I- Harry,-” Severus stammered, clearly wanting to reason with the child for his own benefit. He didn’t want to be around Potter. Especially not now. Not with his concerns and worries about their  _ relationship _ in the future. However, he found himself jumping slightly in his seat as he was enthusiastically interrupted by the child in his lap.

“Pwease! Pwease papa! I wanna see an’ pway wiff!” Harry pleaded, his determination causing his slight lisp.

Lily was observing the duo. Even though she could see how much Severus wanted to go along with the child, she could see the slight trembles in his arms as he tried to talk down the child. But Harry was being strangely stubborn, and she could see the effect it was having on her best friend. She wanted to help, and as a thought popped into her head, she moved forward towards the raven.

“Hey, Sev,” she proposed. “If you allow it, I can bring Harry to the Gryffindor common room to see Potter. I promise, I won’t take my eyes off him, I won’t be more than a meter away from him at any time. That way, Harry can see his father, and you don’t have to deal with them.”

Severus had listened intently to this plan, but before he could act, the young child in his lap, who had heard the plan as well, gave his own opinion.

“No!” Harry cried, plump bottom lip pushing out into a pout as he thought he wasn’t heard. “Wan’ papa and daddy together!”

“But Harry-” Severus started, but before he could say more, Harry cried out and rolled out of his father’s lap onto the floor, resting on his tummy. Then came Severus’s first experience with this weapon of mass destruction: the tantrum.

“No, no, no! Wan’ papa  _ and  _ daddy! NO!” Harry bawled, kicking his legs into the air, beating his tiny fists against the floor. Tears streamed down his face as his eyes puckered in anger.

Now, Severus had no clue what his future self did when Harry threw tantrums. Heck, he had no clue what any respectable parent did with tantrums. But he was a tired, mentally spent teenage Slytherin who had just nearly had a nervous breakdown after learning that he would have a child with his schoolyard bully. He was  _ not _ having it.

Severus sternly picked up the child under his arms and held him out in front of him. Harry was kicking and screaming in the air, wailing as he wiggled, trying to get out of his papa’s hold so he could scream some more.

“Harry, Harry,  _ listen to me! _ ” Severus commanded, his harsh tone quieting down the child, though still fussy. 

Even though the raven was upset, he still acknowledged in the back of his mind who  _ most definitely _ Harry got his glare from. Lily, who had been a bystander to all of this, was trying not to laugh as she saw the identical glares from the father and son.

Severus continued. “You  _ will not _ cry and make a fuss when you don’t get your way. I will not tolerate such misbehavior. Do you understand me?”

Harry sniffled, defiant. “I said, do you understand me, Harry?”

Harry didn’t move, perhaps hoping he could attempt to try to get his way again, but at the look from his father he nodded, tearing up at the failure of his tantrum.

“Good,” Severus concluded, calmly. He took a deep breath in at the sight of the teary child, who had gone from anger to sorrow. Rearranging his arms around the child, he brought Harry to his chest, hugging him. As he looked down to the depressed, pouty face of his child, cheeks trembling and eyes glistening, he found himself giving in.

“Lily, please go call him and bring him here.” Severus said, a defeated look in his eyes. The other two in the room had vastly different reactions, as Lily looked at him in shock, while Harry gasped adorably, his eyes sparkling as he babbled incoherently in his papa’s lap.

“Sev, are you sure? You don’t have to,” Lily mentioned, just wanting the best for her friend.

Severus gave her a sad smile, before looking down at the excitable toddler in his lap, whose babbles had turned into joyful squeals. “I’ll be okay, Lily. Don’t worry,” he responded, facing her again.

Lily pursued her lips, making Severus grimace as he was reminded of a certain Gryffindor Head of House. He didn’t understand how the resemblance was so uncanny.

Lily stood up, heading for the door. Before exiting, she looked back towards him. “Alright. I trust you. But if he does anything, you tell me, okay Sev? That’s my only condition.”

Severus grinned in fond exasperation at the redhead. “Alright, I will,” he confirmed, as he watched his friend exit the room, the door swinging closed behind her.

His bright grin faded off his face, however, as he recalled exactly what would be happening soon, and even the playful antics of his child couldn’t bring it back.


	5. Defiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I'm not completely happy with the end of this, but I thought I'd left you guys in radio silence for too long. Also, this chapter is somewhat sorter than the previous one, but I think it's still a good length. 
> 
> Also, I'm aware that many people wanted to see the interactions between the family in this chapter. However, I thought that this chapter would most certainly happen in this timeline, and I know some of you will be somewhat happy with...developments, in this chapter (let's see if people notice). You'll have to wait for the next chapter for the family.
> 
> Once again, If I have any errors in the setting at Hogwarts, or if you have a suggestion to make this more British, or if I just made a bunch of grammatical errors, please inform me below.
> 
> So, thank you for your patience and all your support so far, and please enjoy the next chapter! Comment and Kudos if you can!

The four marauders were in their dorm room. Normally, this would be a time of rowdy fun, where the four would play exploding snap, or discuss the next big prank that they’d pull. 

However, the four at this time were silent, frustrations rising high. James, Sirius, and Peter were seated at the main table. Sirius was glaring at the parchment in front of him, rubbing his head as James furiously scribbled onto his parchment, handwriting positively atrocious. Peter simply sat, confusion clear in his expression as his blank parchment clearly showed his lack of understanding.

Remus, who had been smart enough to not procrastinate on the transfiguration essay, simply sat on his bed with a book in hand, silently immersed in his novel. Occasionally he would peer over the book at his friends and raise an eyebrow at them, before returning to his task.

The four were interrupted from their terrible habits when they heard their door slam open. Normally this wouldn’t bother them, but the force of the door opening drew all their attention, high on alert.

What, or who they saw rather, made Peter and Remus share shocked glances, while Sirius just stared, brows furrowed. James relaxed, running a hand through his hair and smirking, but even he was surprised by who it was. After all, everyone knew of Lily Evans’ hatred for James Potter.

Lily entered the room, which thankfully was quite clean for a group of four boys, and approached James. James just smiled broader, thankful for the distraction from his horrid essay.

“Hey, Evans! Never thought you would approach me here of all places, but I knew you’d give in to my advances eventually.” he said, in what he clearly felt was a charming way. Lily just paused.

“I’m not here for whatever it is your empty head thinks I’m here for. I’m here-”

“To save me from this awful mess of an essay? Preferably with your dear attention?” James interrupted, playing damsel in distress before smiling at Lily again. She bristled, irritated at being interrupted.

Lily paused, about to verbally lash out at James, before remembering. She crossed her arms and smirked, knowing full well that what she’d say would cause a reaction.

“No. Rather, I am here to take you to Severus’s room. Harry wants to be with you, but he won’t leave Sev alone.”

Lily was right; her words did spark a reaction from all people present. James’s smirk was wiped off his face as he moved back from her, alarm in his expression. Just past him, Sirius scrunched his face in clear disgust. Peter frowned deeply, disgust also present in his face. Remus placed his book down on the bed, but didn’t move. Clearly the action out here was better than the action in there.

James snorted in disbelief, eyebrow raised. He exaggerated bringing a hand up to his ear, sticking a finger in and rotating it, as if the buildup of earwax had manipulated the words coming out of the redhead’s mouth. “Um, excuse me, Miss Evans, but I think I misheard you. You see, I apparently heard that you want me to go to Sniv- Snape’s room, but that can’t-”

“You are right, Potter.” Lily confirmed smirking, happy to interrupt the egotistical Gryffindor.

“But why?” James whined, an expression of deep pain on his face.

“I already told you why,” Lily enunciated, annoyed. “Harry wants to be with you. You know, your _ future son _?”

This phrasing brought a reaction from the rest of the room who had previously been frozen, silently watching. Peter moved back, face scrunched into a sneer of disgust. Remus swung his legs off the edge of his bed, but stayed sitting, wanting to be ready in case of, well, anything. They both stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt the discussion.

Sirius, on the other hand, had no such qualms, and leaned back with an expression of suffering on his face. “Come on, you can’t be serious.”

“Because you’re ‘Sirius’,” Peter uttered. He let out a squeak when Sirius glared at him, shrinking into his seat. Sirius just shook his head and returned his attention to the rest of the room. Usually the joke would be well received, but right now was _ not _ the time.

“As I was saying, you can’t seriously expect Prongs to-”

“I’ll go,” James, who had been silently pondering with a serious expression very uncommon for the Gryffindor, interrupted, facing Lily. He ignored Sirius’s squawk of outrage.

“Oh,” Lily blurted out, eyes widened at her disbelief. She may have asked, but she didn’t believe that Potter would actually agree. “Okay. I’ll need to take you, since there’s a password. Shall we leave?”

“Evans,” Sirius proclaimed, also very urgent, again very uncommon. “Do you think you can wait in the common room.” His eyes swiveled over his dorm mates. “I think the four of us have things to discuss.”

“Alright, but hurry, Potter. Harry is a sweet child, and I want to keep him happy.” Lily commanded, before swerving and exiting briskly. The door swung shut behind her, and for a moment, there was only silence in the room. Just for a moment though.

“What the f*ck, Prongs?! What do you mean, you’ll go and see Snivellus’s spawn? Why would you even want to be in the same room as him?” Sirius yelled, angered.

“Shut the hell up, Siri, before I cast a f*cking silencing spell on you,” James replied, glaring at his best friend. Sirius just stared, not used to the serious manner from the other. Especially not due to _ Snivellus _.

James sighed, seeing the affronted expression on his best friends face. “Look, you know that I really value family, and that child-”

“_ That child _ is not your son, Prongs!” Sirius barked, leaning forward in his seat. James gritted his teeth.

“How do you know?” spat out the prospective father in question. Sirius just looked at him like he was insane.

“Because you’d never shack up with _ Snivellus _.”

“But then why would that child call me Daddy?! And have my names? Since Snape is taking care of him right now, Snape is clearly his other father.” _ Plus, he has his name too _ , the Gryffindor thought _ . _

Sirius just leaned back in his chair, propping his legs onto the table, completely relaxed. He was not concerned in the slightest that he could be wrong. “That slimeball probably just wanted to marry a rich pureblood to make his life so much easi-”

“Snape isn’t that kind of person! He’d shack up with a hippogriff well before he’d ever even consider shacking up with me.” In the back of his mind, James secretly thought about how it used to be the same for him in regards to Snape. Until that momentin the Great Hall.

“At this point,” Sirius said, lips twisting into a wicked grin as the words came out, “I’d gather that Snivellus has learned from our ‘lessons’ that being a snake isn’t a good thing, but he’s dug himself too deep in slime to get out! He’s using you to get out of the sludge. He got the child to _ claim _ you’re his father-”

James just gestured in front of him, heavily exasperated. And not in a good way. “Fine, let’s say that _ somehow _ for the ever loving pants of Merlin, Snape thought to try to have a child _ pretend _ to be mine. How would the child even _ know _ how to do that?! He’s a tyke! Even if Snape told him to say that, which I seriously doubt, _ as I’ve told you _ , that child won’t be able to _ follow along _. He doesn’t understand how to act!” 

And, James thought, the reaction of the child, the pure joy in his eyes as he looked at the Gryffindor, was just too genuine to be fake. It just couldn’t be.

“I think you should go, Prongs,” a calm voice called over from the bed. The other three swerved their heads towards Remus. Sirius made a choked sound in the back of his throat.

“Moony!” Sirius howled, betrayed by his favorite werewolf. He opened his mouth again to yell, but Remus held up a hand towards him, halting the dog’s incoming anger.

“No, listen to me, Padfoot. If he goes, he can figure out if the child truly is his or not.”

This stopped Sirius straight in his tracks. As he thought about what Remus had said, a grin slowly made his way onto his face.

He turned to James, who had just been confusingly looking at Sirius, not sure why this sentence had stopped his incoming barrage. 

“Yeah, mate!” Sirius barked out, excited at having found a solution for his mate. “Just go and prove that the child isn’t yours, and then you’re scot free to pursue Evans again!” James just sat agape at this, stammering in shock. 

“But, but that’s not-” James started, then paused, sighing deeply as he recognized that Sirius would not understand his motives for him wanting to go and meet the child (and Severus). Unfortunately for James, who had been hoping Sirius would be his normal dense self, Sirius picked up on his hesitance, and called him out on it.

“What, Prongs?!” Sirius called out, hostile. He just couldn’t understand what was wrong with his best mate. Why all this for _ Snivellus _ ? “Why are you _ wavering _? Snivellus is a slimy scumbag! Just accept that he probably stole that child and tortured him into thinking you’re his father. Maybe even brainwashed him with those god-awful potions of hi-”

“He f*cking yelled, Sirius!” James roared into the room, silencing any other words from Sirius. James’s expression went from furious to resigned, hand going up to rub his forehead, as he took a deep breath in regards to Sirius’s belligerent, yet befuddled expression.

“We’ve been tormenting Snape for the better part of six years, Siri.” James stated, tone sounding fatigued, which was not becoming of the sixth year Gryffindor seeker. “In that entire time, he hasn’t yelled once. He’s sneered, he’s hexed us back, he’s spat out scathing insults, but he’s never yelled like that. Not in that way.”

“What way?” Peter asked, clearly repulsed by the subject matter.

“It was _ raw _,” James enlightened, showing the smallest bit of awe at it. “Full of emotion. Especially paired with his expression, when I tried to approach his child.” James paused, eyes moving across the other inhabitants of the room.

“He was _ terrified _. Absolutely bloody terrified.” James leaned forward in his chair, gazing intensely at Sirius, unyielding in his stare as he reached his conclusion.

“He had absolutely _ no bloody clue _ I was the other father. And he absolutely _ loathed _ that piece of information.”

And with that, James stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving the rest of his dormmates in shocked (and on Remus’s part, contemplative) silence.

James’s line of sight drifted around as he walked to the common room, until he spotted a fiery red head of hair poking out from the top of the couch. As he approached her, she noticed him, shutting her book and looking up at him. 

“Ready to go?” she asked, still somewhat disbelieving of his willingness to go with her.

James paused for a split second, hesitation on his face, before he steeled his expression and made eye contact, nodding at her.

“Let’s go,” he uttered, knowing he was not prepared to be in a room with either the child, or the father.


	6. The Nuclear Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for making you wait so long for this. It was a lot of really hard workloads from my classes that left me too drained to write. I've changed my major, so I should have a lot more time next quarter. Thank you so much to everyone that supported me and commented, I've read all of them and they really bring me up and improve my mood.
> 
> So I know a lot of you really anticipated this chapter! I hope it is to your liking, while being in character with the characters. Please enjoy it!
> 
> Same as the previous chapters, if there are any British words/phrases I could use, if there are canon inconsistencies, or if there are any grammar/punctuation errors, please inform me in the comments below.
> 
> Please comment and leave kudos! And please enjoy!

The two Gryffindors walked in silence. Others around them were confused, seeing the outspoken redhead with whom they knew she despised, but they shrugged it off and ignored them. They just assumed that Potter’s advances were finally taking effect. 

Lily, on the other hand, didn’t notice the people around her. Instead, her mind was focused on the Gryffindor next to her. He was being too quiet, which was unheard of from Mr. Potter. She kept glancing over at the bespeckled seeker, wanting to break the silence, but couldn’t find her voice to do it. 

James just looked down, serious. It was clear that, for some reason, his mind wasn’t on the beautiful redhead next to him. You know, the one he had been pursuing for the last six years. James gritted his teeth as he walked, half looking forward to and half dreading what was to come. He continued striding forward, brisk in his pace until he felt a delicate hand firmly grasp his forearm.

“We’re here,” Lily uttered as James glanced at her. Recognition flashed in his eyes when she gestured to the portrait of the heavily made up blond woman on the wall.

Letting go of James, Lily continued to speak. “You’re going to have to step back. No offense, but I don’t _ trust you _ enough to let you know what the password is.” In her head, Lily was smirking at the irony, but none of that made its way onto her stern face.

James just raised his hands in surrender and stepped back until his back was against the opposite wall. He crossed his arms and watched as the redhead finally took her suspicious gaze off of him and whispered the password to the painting. 

He didn’t know what to expect, but he was surprised when he saw that the piece of the wall the painting was on swung open, with the same dimensions of a door. He was slightly jealous. He had to crawl into a hole in the wall.

He saw Lily gesture towards him as she stood in the doorway, waving her hand for him to come. James stood up straight, taking a deep breath in before attempting to stride into the room. But before he could enter, he felt himself being slammed against the wall to the left of the opening, with the wide piece of wall to his left. He had to physically restrain himself from attacking, but his defiance became subdued as he felt a wand poking at his throat, knowing exactly why this was happening.

“Potter,” Lily uttered, determination clear in her eyes as she held James against the wall. “If you do anything, _ anything at all _ to hurt Sev, I will personally make a slow and torturous affair of your arrogant pride and everything else you hold dear until you are begging and pleading at my feet. Got it?”

Lily waited, anticipating a normal response to this being that she was kinky in the bedroom, that she was a fiery woman, all things that would be ordinary of James Potter. 

But, if we’re being fair, right now nothing about anything was ordinary.

James looked her in the eye and simply said, “I don’t plan to.” Lily held her pose a little longer, before finally letting him go, swerving to enter the room. Potter followed, wincing and massaging his throat.

Once he entered, he immediately noticed the pastel green undertones in the room, and he couldn’t stop himself from smirking. _ Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin, huh. _ The strange thing, as James realized it and his smirk fell off, was that it wasn’t a _ menacing _ smirk. No, no it wasn’t. Rather, it was a _ fond _ one. 

Towards Severus. 

A Slytherin. 

What was _ happening _ to him?

His eyes wandered the room, before they looked to his left and settled onto the two people on the bed. And what’s meant by settle is that he froze, and he could not take his eyes off the people on the bed.

Snape was sitting in an unfolded crisscross formation, hunched over. However, it wasn’t the hunched over James was used to seeing in the school, where the Slytherin attempted to make himself smaller so he could blend into the shadows. No, he was hunched over like he was protecting the small child in his lap, who was babbling away in excitement at the redhead who had just appeared in front of him.

James could see Lily pointing towards himself, and he saw the child’s face turn towards him. The child gasped adorably before smiling widely, wiggling to get out of his papa’s lap. James, however, was not focused on the boy, but rather the man behind him. Severus had looked up, and James had seen the small smile and fond eyes the raven had towards his child. But once they landed on _ him _, he could see the exact moment that Severus first recognized what was in front of his eyes. 

James felt a slight pang in his chest as the once expressive eyes turned guarded, the smile disappearing into a scowl so fast, that for a moment James wondered if he had imagined it. 

But he knew he hadn’t.

“Daddy!” he heard a high pitched voice squeal, before he felt a force attach itself to his legs. Looking down, James almost exclaimed out loud in shock. The child had wrapped his arms around the legs of the seeker, and was looking up, giving a blinding smile full of excitement. James just couldn’t help but stare at the child. His mind hadn’t caught up with him yet.

“Harry, why don’t you show Po- _ your daddy _, your toys? I’m sure he’d love to play with you,” Lily prompted. Harry, who had turned to face the redhead, nodded vigorously before tugging on his father’s legs, nearly causing the Gryffindor to fall over. 

“Daddy, come!” Lost in his element, James simply allowed the child to drag him over to the playpen. He did make sure to grab the boy’s hand in his own instead of risking both of their safety with him falling over.

Severus watched the two with barely concealed anxiety before being distracted by Lily tugging him to the opposite side of the room from the child and parent. Lily grabbed his shoulders, facing him head on. “Listen to me Sev. Are you absolutely certain you don’t need me to stay? I can just sit to the side. I won’t interfere if you don’t want me to.”

Severus chuckled. “As much as I would love your constant threatening presence looming over Potter, I’m,” and here Severus faltered, looking around, trying to find the words for what he wants to say. For what he was somewhat hesitant to admit.

“I’m doing this for Harry. He’s used to having just the two parents, and he’ll notice if you’re always with us every time I have to be with the imbecile. At some point, I have to get used to just the three of us, right?”

“Are you sure?” Lily questioned again, grip softer as she tried to reason with her friend. “What if he hurts you again?”

“I’m hoping that Gryffindor pride and ethics you all have will prevent Potter from attacking me while in the presence of a child. I most certainly would never attempt it to be just Potter and I together. I’m only tolerating him for Harry.”

On the other side of the room sat a bespeckled messy haired Gryffindor, who was currently watching Harry play with his toys. As the boy babbled about his dolls and presented them to the other, who responded with smiles and nods, he was lost in thought, only speaking rarely to the child. He was a little too busy studying the boy in great detail.

James didn’t know what he had expected. Earlier, in the great hall, he hadn’t gotten a very good look at the boy, only a guess at the child’s age. Now that they were sitting so close, he could see so many things that he kept having to remind himself were true of the boy in front of him.

James’s eyes moved over the boy, taking in everything. He indeed saw the features from Snape in the child: the extremely dark black hair and piercing black eyes were, shall we say, attributed by all of Hogwarts to belong to the Slytherin located across the room.

However, despite everything Sirius said, and the small doubts (and/or _ hopes _) in James’s brain, he could see how the boy’s messy hair, even at that age, resembled his to a tee. He could see, when the boy looked over to him, sometimes looking curiously or smiling broadly, the pure resemblance to his own childhood pictures at his parent’s estate. And he looked down at the back of his arm, glancing up at the child and seeing how his own skin tone was much closer to the child’s than Snape’s, with the child only being slightly paler than him. Once again most likely the result of Snape.

Back across the room again, Severus had a mild concern. “Lily, how in Merlin’s pants did you know my password? You weren’t there when I made it.”

Lily just smiled brightly, before side hugging Severus in a show of friendship. “Professor McGonagall approached me in the Great Hall during breakfast. I have to say, I wouldn’t have pegged you for such a sap, but I guess children do that to you.”

“Lily!” Severus exclaimed, smacking Lily lightly in irritation, but he betrayed himself as his eyes glanced over at the playpen, his sight laying on Harry. Lily smirked as she saw the face of her friend grow soft as he looked upon the child.

The redhead then sighed heavily, resting her hands on her hips. “Alright Sev, I guess I’m leaving now. But!” And here she leaned closer to Severus and started whispering aggressively. “You better inform me at once if Potter does _ anything _, you hear me!?”

Severus smiled in fond exasperation. “Yes I do. Thanks, Lily.” The two hugged, holding each other close in comfort for a little bit, before they broke apart. Lily headed for the door, and looked back at Severus as she exited. 

They both clearly knew what the reality of this situation was. And they were worried.

Harry’s attention turned away from his toys once he heard the slam of the door. When he turned his head in curiosity, his eyes laid on his papa, and he gasped from excitement. He stood up, and started walking towards his papa. 

However, when passing his father, he stopped and grabbed his daddy’s sleeve, pulling him with all his determination. He wanted all of them to be together after all.

When the Griffyndor felt the slight, but determined tugging on his sleeve, he looked up, ready to entertain the child with a smile prepared on his face. However, when he saw exactly where exactly the boy was heading and his eyes fell on the Slytherin, he felt his smile wobble, falling off his face as his eyes widened in alarm. 

He saw how the Slytherin looked up at the incoming toddler, with a gentle gaze that was so… _ foreign _, on the raven’s face. But when Snape’s eyes moved along his child’s arm, and James saw the piercing black eyes lay on him, the gentle eyes widened, a grimace appearing on his face as he moved backward in alarm. 

Harry climbed on the bed, letting go of his daddy in order to pull himself up. He bounced on his feet, pushing his head on the bed as an anchor as he pushed himself forward onto the bed. He giggled cutely, biting his bottom lip and grinning as he looked at his papa, tilting his head at his papa’s expression. His papa seemed worried, and even though his papa smiled down at him in an attempt to reassure him, the boy wasn’t convinced. 

Remembering his mission, Harry turned around on the bed, reaching out for the other man in the room. The Gryffindor placed his hand in front of him, allowing Harry to take his hand, the child grinning happily up at him. The child, probably thinking he’s being mischievous, bit his lip, gently tugging to get his daddy on the bed.

Severus was terrified. He had promised himself he wouldn’t have to get close to Potter! It would be the two of them on opposite sides of the room as they entertained Harry, the child not knowing the wiser. He should have known that Harry would be smarter than that. And now the Slytherin was suffering the consequences.

The two students sat on the bed, being only separated by the single child, which, as can be guessed, was not a lot of space between them. Harry seemed deadfast on having both his supposed parents right next to him, and while Severus desired to keep Harry happy, being this close to the Gryffindor imbecile was making him seize up. Most definitely because the Gryffindor was so moronic that even the dumbest of trolls could perform better at Hogwarts than him. Not because Severus was in fear because of his continuous torment. Definitely not. 

Harry clutched both parents, grinning at both of them, but he didn’t actually start communicating with them. Instead, he opted to babble to himself while playing with his stuffed phoenix, which left a very awkward silence above the adorable three year old.

Severus kept his eyes straight in front of him, uneasy as he sat lost in thought. However, he felt himself stiffen up, taking a sharp breath in, eyes widening in trepidation as he saw in his peripheral vision a certain Gryffindor turning his head to face him. Severus immensely hoped that the pillock simply got very suddenly interested in the front door that was located just past Severus. No such luck.

“So, uh Sni- _ Snape _,” James started. “How... are... you doing?” He concluded awkwardly, cringing inwardly as he observes the raven glancing at him without changing his distraught sneer and then returning back to staring into space. 

“I mean,” James attempted again. “How… is… being a parent? Is it difficult?” 

Severus just stared at James with barely concealed disgust. Actually, he may not have even been trying to conceal it. “Potter, I know responsibility isn’t something any Gryffindor but Lily emulates, but you should be aware that..._ if _ , what Harry says is true, then you are _ also _ a parent.”

“Yeah, but I mean, I was always going to have a kid,” James replied, leaning back on his hands as he relaxed into the conversation. “But _ you _, on the other hand, it’s quite unbelievable.”

Severus didn’t look over, keeping his head down to gaze at the boy next to him, but secretly he agreed with the bespeckled man. 

James, spurred on by the lack of hostility, continued. Perhaps when he should have stopped. “No one would have thought a Slytherin like _ you _ would have done more than _ use _ any child, of course. Definitely not actually _ caring _ for them. But-” 

“_ Excuse me _?!” James heard coming from next to him, and when he turned he found the Slytherin with a scowl deep set on his face, eyes embedded with raw hatred, piercing into his own.

James just looked back at the raven, confused. Why was he glaring at him?

Severus, if possible, grew even angrier when he saw that James was so oblivious to what he had done wrong. Gritting his teeth to prevent from outright hexing the seeker, he turned back to the front, murderous glare on full display, ending the somewhat amiable conversation.

James just sat like a gaping fish, wanting to say something but not being able to. There was now a large wall between the two, and James couldn’t bring himself to break through it. He had just turned back to the front at the cold shut down from the Slytherin, when a sharp knock on the door sent the Gryffindor jumping in surprise. Severus turned towards the door, anticipating the explanation from the arrival.

From outside, a poised, yet caring voice called out. “It is Madam Pomfrey, Mr. Snape.”

Snape got off the bed and opened the door, letting Madam Pomfrey enter a couple of feet. Before Severus could ask why she was there, the nurse turned promptly towards him. “I think it’s time I do an analysis on the young boy. Better sooner than later, don’t you agree, Mr. Snape?”

“Yes, Madam. Should we go to the hospital wing, or?” Severus asked, trailing off at the end.

“Yes, that would be the most ideal, but I came here first in the circumstance that the young Mr. Potter decides he does not wish to leave the room.”

Severus smirked inwardly at the reminder of the spoiled child, but at a look from the nurse he moved towards Harry, who had noticed him and was holding his arms out to be carried.

“Papa, potty!” Harry proclaimed, pausing what Severus was about to explain to him as he picked the child up and held him in his arms.

“Okay, but after we go, we are going to accompany the nice madam to her office and she is going to check that you are all right, okay, Harry? Nod if you understand.”

The boy nodded, slobbering on the fingers in his mouth. Satisfied, Severus headed into the bathroom with the boy, leaving just the stoic nurse next to the door and the Gryffindor on the bed.

There was a moment of silence. That is, until James turned to the nurse with a request of his own. “Madam Pomfrey?”

The woman turned to face the boy, as a silent answer. 

“Could-” The boy started, hesitating while somewhat lost in thought. He bit his lip, then steeled his nerves and asked. “Could I accompany you guys? I want to know how he- Harry, is doing.”

“Of course,” the nurse replied, not phased by the request. “I expected you to come anyway. I also planned on doing paternity tests on you and the boy, along with Mr. Snape and the boy.”

“Yeah- that. Yeah.” James stammered out, somewhat surprised.

He had forgotten that there was a possibility for Harry _not_ to be his son. But even as that thought crossed his head, he found himself immediately dismissing it. If the last hour was anything to go by…

James sat in silence on the bed, waiting for the other two to arrive. This day had already been full of more surprises than he’d need in a year. Why not discover some more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn it James! I gave you everything you needed, and you had to mess it up. You were so close! ;D


	7. First Family Outing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAAAHH! I'm so sorry this took so long. I've seen many authors here updating purely because it was quarantine and they had nothing to do, but sadly quarantine put me in a bit of a downer. It was hard to write for a while.
> 
> But I pulled through and I wrote! Finally, after so long I'm delivering the next chapter. I literally have so many assignments to do this weekend, but I decided that'd I;d left you waiting for too long! Please enjoy!
> 
> Oh yeah, also, there's FANART?!?!? WHAT?!?!? The purely amazing AkiieLoo did fanart for this story! I'm like, whAT? I'm so honored! I don't really know how to link, but hopefully I do it right! It's [here](https://66.media.tumblr.com/e637c4e1b5594343a2be08993636c630/b6ed259a5739fdc5-c3/s500x750/bcfe2a00469a12a5c11b5f0720df6f934959d14e.jpg) and [here](https://66.media.tumblr.com/9e30e0d0ff9a980f9c480d91d3642b74/1054b901a9cdb980-73/s640x960/e8f4a021f77e2528f53e4626a6ac39e6045d36f8.jpg). Click here for the [blog](https://www.tumgir.com/auakiau). Also, of course, if anyone else has done fanart please let me know!
> 
> As always, if there's anything I can do to make it more British, more accurate to canon, or more grammatically accurate, please let me know!

Madam Pomfrey walked promptly, descending the winding staircase in front of her. As the head nurse at Hogwarts, she was hardworking and straightforward in her role, which she took pride in. After all, she made it her sworn business to complete all of her supposed tasks. 

Can’t expect less from the head nurse at a school of magic, of course.

Traveling several paces behind her were the two and a half students, at a somewhat slower rhythm. The madam was so fixated on her task that she didn’t recognize the immensely uncomfortable air just behind her.

Severus walked briskly with Harry in his arms, resembling the strict nurse in front of them. However, his torso was hunched more forward, unconsciously aiming to support his child more. People around them weren’t really focusing on his posture however, as their attention was fully drawn to the intense seething expression on his face. His lips were pulled into a harsh scowl, his glare wishing death among all who dared make eye contact with him.

James trailed behind Severus, hands in his pockets as he gently kicked up his feet with every step. On his face was a disheartened and clueless expression, as he continued to stare at the back of the raven’s head throughout the walk to the hospital wing. He kept squinting his eyes while looking at the Slytherin, eyebrows furrowing in frustration; he truly didn’t understand the other’s reaction.

Once they arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey led the two to the nearest bed, with a wooden chair next to the bed and a white curtain around the area, to provide privacy. She conjured a second chair and placed it next to the first, gesturing for the boys to sit.

Once sat, Severus handed over Harry, who panicked slightly at being taken away from his papa. He calmed once the nurse turned him around to give him full view of the Slytherin while placing the child on the bed.

Severus couldn’t stop his heart from warming when he saw the boy looking around curiously, eyes darting around inquisitively but never letting them wander for long before returning to his papa, the child giggling and smiling when their eyes met. It was only with the notice of a slight shift on his left that Severus realized that the bespectacled Gryffindor was looking at him, and the soft smile the raven had on his face was wiped off, the student hunching slightly at the unwanted attention.

“Alright, young man,” the head nurse said, cutting into the silence and making Severus jolt before he realized that she was referring to Harry. “Please cooperate with me here, I simply want to make sure you are alright after your journey.”

Harry grinned at the older woman. “Okay!” he exclaimed, wiggling his feet excitedly. He’s not scared. How could he be scared? He had both his daddy and papa right there with him, barely a few feet away. He was the happiest boy alive!

Madam Pomfrey moved closer and grabbed the boy’s chin, turning his face from side to side. After observing him for a second, she let go of him, and began casting several wordless spells. All the spells glowed upon impact, but faded fairly quickly, seemingly having no effect on the boy in front of them. Harry just continued grinning adorably throughout the entire process. 

The head nurse took a step back from the child and faced the two students briskly, arms behind her back. “Alright. I have determined that there are no harmful everlasting effects of the time travel. He is completely healthy and in tip-top shape.”

Madam Pomfrey paused, moving to cross her arms in front of her. “I will leave now to go fetch the paternity potions and to attend to another patient of mine. It may take a while. Now, in that time,” she stated, pointing a very fixed expression towards the two boys in front of her, her stare lingering on both for several seconds, “I better not find out anything happened between you two,  _ especially _ anything that could  _ harm _ the young lad. Do I make myself clear?” 

She clearly remembered the relationship between the two students in front of her.

The boys nodded jerkily, not taking their eyes off the woman in front of them. She stared the boys down, unyielding. Finally relenting after a moment, she swished open the curtain to leave, the curtains magically closing right after she left. 

The head nurse at Hogwarts was truly a formidable woman.

Left behind was once again a very awkward silence, only interrupted by the murmured babbles coming from the boy on the bed. He made no move to approach his papa or daddy, too focused on crunching the blanket he was currently sitting on in his little baby fists, somehow focused purely on the blanket. Severus didn’t understand.

As he sat watching the boy, he saw out of the corner of his vision Potter straightening, and he knew he’d have to interact with the Gryffindor, which was something he did not want happening. He’d much prefer to jump out a window, which he was seriously contemplating. It was only a few meters away.

Sadly, he just couldn’t leave Harry behind, so Severus also straightened out, awaiting the godforsaken exchange. Unfortunately, he didn’t wait long.

“Uhm, Snape…” James started, looking down at the ground while moving a hand through his hair. “I uh- I’m sorry, I guess? I just- I really don’t know what I did wrong. It felt like we were getting along, um, cordially I suppose, but then you got really angry, and everything got really tense.”

Severus could only stare at him, which he did for several seconds, affronted. “You really don’t understand what you did wrong? What you said?”

The cluelessness on the seeker’s face was enough. Severus gritted his teeth.  _ Ignorant fool _ .

“You said that no Slytherin would ever truly care for a child. Only  _ using _ them,” the raven replied, seething rage embedded in every slow and precise delivery of the words. He wanted Potter to understand exactly what was unacceptable. 

Alas, Severus was disappointed when, instead of looking shocked with comprehension, James lowered his hand with an expression of irritation growing on his face.

“What’s wrong with that?” James countered, outraged. “Slytherins are  _ evil _ . You-  _ They _ would use  _ anyone _ to get what they want!”

Severus’s nostrils flared as he sat up briskly, eyes brimming with hate as he glared at the brunette across from him. With a level, scathing tone, he retaliated.

“Clearly not all evil is Slytherin. Just look at your best friend.”

“Black isn’t evil!” James leaned forward, hand slamming down on the armrest of the chair in clear offense at the raven’s statement.

“Well  _ I’m _ certain I heard him say Harry  _ deserves _ to be a squib  _ purely _ because he’s  _ my child _ !” Severus cried out, level voice wavering at the last several words. 

He couldn’t take it anymore. He could feel his throat drying up, burning, as he looked away from the Gryffindor, taking a couple of seconds to will his turbulent emotions not to fall from his eyes. There was only silence.

“You’re right,” the Slytherin heard from next to him, the words calm and quiet. It was so unexpected that Severus nearly started retorting out of habit before realizing what was said.

“What?” Severus brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at James in shock, mouth slightly agape. 

“You’re right,” James replied again, looking calm and mature in a way that was so foreign on the Gryffindor. It made Severus lean away, even more wary than before.

James just sighed at Severus’s reaction. “Sirius was- what he said, was out of line. And I’m going to talk to him about that. Makes sure he understands.”

Severus was still wary, but he most definitely had some opinions to input. “Excuse me, you seem to have forgotten that this is  _ Black _ we’re talking about. He encompasses the complete and utter stubbornness you Gryffindors seem to take pride in to a tee.”

The Slytherin didn’t expect to see James smiling at that. “Yeah, Padfoot would be the guy to never admit he’s wrong. Up until his death that is, where he has it written on his gravestone. ‘I was wrong that one time, and no other!’” James chuckled lowly to himself at the visual, before taking on a serious tone once again.

“But really, I’ll make sure to talk to him. About this, how that was a horrible thing to say.” James said, looking earnestly at the Slytherin. 

Severus was just taken by surprise with the Gryffindor’s actions, but as the seeker’s words started to sink in, he could feel an intense, deep seated resentment rising in him.  _ If it wasn’t for Harry, you would have been perfectly fine with what Black said _ , the raven thought bitterly. But all that came out was, “Are you serious?”

“No, that’s Padfoot.” James replied instinctively. 

Severus automatically rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t stop a slight smile at the Gryffindor’s stunned laughter. He covertly bit his lip to hide it. 

He wasn’t going to give Potter that satisfaction.

Severus felt himself startle out of  _ whatever _ state he was in when the curtains zipped open, Madam Pomfrey entering with three potions floating behind her. All three were a gold yellow color, but one bottle was larger with a slightly more opaque shade.

Swishing her wand, she sent the two smaller bottles to the students, then handed Harry the larger one.

“Alright, here are the paternity tests. The young lad has the basis potion. You two have the responsive potions. After being ingested at the same time, the basis potion will read the child's magical core, and produce a glow that surrounds the child. If there is a parental link between the child’s core and one of your cores, then you both will glow. If you two are indeed the parents, then all three of you should glow.”

Turning to the child, the nurse smiled softly. “Go on,” she said, placing her hand under the bottle and pushing it upwards towards the child's mouth, “You must drink it. It should taste good.”

Looking up at the nurse, the boy then turned his head to look at his papa. Once his papa smiled at him, Harry took the leap, and took a sip. He found that it tasted fairly similar to the lemon drops from the headmaster’s office, and liking the taste, he gulped down the rest.

Severus watched the child drink the potion happily, then looked down at his own bottle. Twisting off the cap, the Slytherin downed the potion, smacking his lips while grimacing, as the liquid was a little too sickly sweet for him. The Gryffindor next to him did the same, after a slight bout of hesitation where his eyes darted from Severus to the potion in his own hand.

Severus looked forward towards the child on the bed, waiting. It was with the widening of his eyes that he saw the boy begin to glow a bright, orange color, with what the raven swore to be thin lines of green scattered about. Remembering the goal of the potions, he hurriedly looked down at himself, only to find himself glowing too, though his was more of a pastel yellow with the green being more prominent, and the glow was faded.

Severus felt so much relief at seeing the glow on his body. He was almost mesmerized by the glow, refusing to look away from the curve of the back of his hand. He objectively had known that Harry was his child. But of course, no matter what, there would always be the slight doubts that appeared right before taking the potion. After all, Harry was adorable, bright, and enjoyed the presence of others. Nothing like himself.

Now there was no doubt. Harry was truly his son. He would truly have a child with someone.

Severus felt a rush of air enter his lungs as he remembered that. As he remembered  _ who else _ was there. He hesitated, refusing to look over, even tilting his head in the opposite direction. 

But finally, he had to look. 

And Potter was glowing.

James was glowing a more golden yellow color than Harry, richer and more opaque. There were no streaks of green, but there was a red undertone, and his glow was also faded. It was like the two parents' glows together made up the intense glow of their child. 

Severus, however, was not focused on that. The moment he had turned and seen the glowing Gryffindor, his heart had turned to stone. His expression grew emotionless. 

He didn’t want to deal with this.

“Papa! Look!” Severus heard, his attention drawn to the grinning child on the bed. The child was looking with wonder at the glow on his body, but once he looked up and saw that his papa’s attention was on him, he crawled to the edge of the bed and reached his arms out. Severus, recognizing the universal sign, reached over and picked him up, setting him in his lap facing him. 

Harry thrust his hand into his papa’s face. “Look! I’m orange!” Severus just smiled at the adorable antics of the child, who’s attention was now drawn to the Slytherin’s glowing arm.

“Wow,” Severus heard from next to him. He looked over to the Gryffindor, who had his hands out in front of him, just gazing at the glow spread all across them. “I’m,” James started, then paused, a fond smile slowly growing onto his face. “I’m his father.”

Against his better judgement, Severus heard himself saying, “He looks just like you.”

“I know,” James replied, attention still on the glow of his arms. “But this- this makes it real.”

Severus didn’t reply, turning his head to look down at the child, the glow fading from all three. Secretly, he agreed.

The glow was gone in the next couple of seconds. 

“Well,” Madam Pomfrey determined. “It seems as if the two of you are indeed the child’s parents. Now hurry along, I have other patients to take care of. Unless you want me keeping you here all night.” 

She didn’t have to tell Severus twice. He gently picked up Harry, who was frowning at his hands. Severus hid a smile at the clear disappointment the child had at the lack of a glow. Passing the Gryffindor, Severus exited the enclosed area, determined to forget everything that had just transpired, fail at that, and then wallow in his room. 

He stopped short when fiery red hair danced past his vision.

“Lily?” Severus pondered. “What are you doing here?”

The redhead turned around, a look of surprise on her face as well. Understanding dawned on her face when she saw the boy in his arms, however. She left her location right outside another curtained off area and bounded over to the duo.

“Hey, Sev!” She greeted him, waving at Harry. “Did Pomprey check up on him? How is he?” She then rested a hand on his shoulder, pulling them closer with a serious expression. Talking quietly, she inquired, “Did you two do the paternity test? What were the results?”

Based on Severus noticing that Lily’s eyes had darted past the pair in front of her, the Slytherin could tell that she was referring to  _ both _ aforementioned parents.

“Yeah, he’s fine. In full health. And,” he leaned closer and whispered, “both the tests were successful. He is indeed-” And here Severus paused. He needed to take a breath. “Indeed the other father.”

Severus watched Lily not respond, just keeping eye contact with him, but he knew she was a forward pushing woman. She would have more to say. And he’s really been through a lot in the last two days. He should really be allowed a break. He did not want to have to discuss this matter yet. Truthfully at all, but he knew that with the redhead as a best friend, that wish was a lost cause.

“So,” Severus cut in, noticing that her mouth had opened, preparing to speak. “You never informed me as to why you are here currently.”

“Oh,” the woman uttered, taken aback. She looked away, dazed with a concerned expression, as if arguing with herself as to whether or not to tell the raven. She bit her lip, and relented, making eye contact with Severus. “It’s my friend, Mary. She, well, she can’t remember anything from when she was five to when she arrived at Hogwarts. And it’s not the natural way we forget things; she can’t remember  _ anything _ from then. At all.” She broke eye contact, looking down. “I’m worried for her.”

Severus didn’t respond, busy contemplating what he had just heard. What could have caused that? He had a few ideas drifting around in his head, nothing with certainty sadly, but Harry interrupted before he could voice any.

He felt the boy moving against him and glanced down, only to see the boy’s outstretched hand grasp at the long, red hair of the Gryffindor. “Hi, Auntie Lily.” the boy shyly muttered, looking up at the woman with what could only be the widest, most adorable eyes in existence.

Lily couldn’t help but coo. She reached her hand over and tapped the little boy briefly on the nose. “Boop!”

Harry moved back slightly, scrunching his nose, before he looked up and grinned widely, giggling at the woman in front of him. He let go of the hair, turning and burying his head in his papa’s chest, embarrassed but still looking at the woman from the side of his vision gleefully. 

Severus could see the stupid, dopey smile on Lily’s face, and he refused to think about his own face. He knew that it was reflecting hers.

Lily’s eyes skimmed past the father-son pair, and Severus noticed the smile on her face fading. Still looking past him, she calmly stated. “Don’t look now, but a certain Gryffindor seeker is loitering at the entrance to the hospital wing.”

Severus had to physically stop himself from turning in shock. Why was Potter still here?! He got the paternity test. He knew that Harry had potter blood flowing through his veins. He knew at some point he and Severus would end up…  _ making a baby _ in some way. What else did he want!?

“Hey, so,” Lily continued, drawing Severus out of his turmoil. “Did anything happen during the, uh, get together? Did Potter do something stupid? You said you’d tell me.”

She was right. Severus had promised her that he’d mention anything bad that happened. And he did have something to say. Something had happened. Potter had insulted him and, now that Severus had looked back, he hadn’t really apologized. He hesitated.

“No, nothing really happened,” was the response that ended up coming out, shocking even Severus, and certainly shocking Lily.

“Are you sure?” She prodded, eyebrows raised. Clearly she didn’t believe him.

“Yeah, I- I just stayed away from him. Didn’t really interact much except for Potter attempting to make some very awkward small talk.”

“Yeah, that would be really awkward, wouldn’t it.” She grimaced, the unwanted image popping up in her head. Severus just held Harry closer, not wanting to acknowledge what he had just done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm, there's FANART?!? If you want to see, go to the beginning notes!
> 
> Also, on a more serious note, I hope everyone stays healthy and safe wherever you may be.


	8. A Walk in the Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long since the last chapter! I could give a lot of reasons, but the only real one is my current really bad writer's block. As such, I can't guarantee any future chapters being any faster. 
> 
> However, regardless of that, I am here now with a new chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Please give comments and kudos! I love reading them, and they were very supportive. As always, if there are any grammatical errors, anything to be more British, and any canon issues, please inform me!
> 
> Have a wonderful day, and stay safe everyone~

Severus sighed, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to put it off much longer. Not with Madam Pomfrey giving him a very pointed look saying that, unless he wanted to be treated like a bedridden patient, he should leave.

He decided to very wisely heed her advice.

He could feel himself dragging his feet as he made his way closer to the entrance to the hospital wing. And it most certainly didn’t help that Lily was holding his upper arm and was not-so-sneakily trying to pull Severus towards the entrance. And towards  _ him _ .

“Hello, Potter!” Severus heard from next to him,  _ way sooner _ than he’d like to hear it. Had he really already reached the Gryffindor? He could have sworn that they had only been moving for a couple of seconds. He averted his gaze for as long as possible, childishly putting off the interaction as long as he could.

“Hey Evans,” Severus heard from the side, in the cocky, boorish way that was common for Potter towards Lily. Severus grimaced and rolled his eyes at the playboy behavior. Of course Potter hadn’t changed at all after the discovery. With Severus caring for a  _ child  _ of all things and being forced to the limits of his comfort zones to accommodate everyone else, of course  _ Potter _ would get off easy.

He froze up when he heard a calmly muttered “Hi, Snape,” in a much more mature way than was expected. Not that he was expecting to be addressed at all. Or wanted to be addressed.

Severus stubbornly kept his eye contact on the floor, unknowingly pouting slightly. His attention was diverted from the frankly  _ very interesting _ floor to the child in his arms when Harry started giggling. “Papa is so cute!” he declared, bringing his chubby hand up and poking the Slytherin in the cheek. 

Severus just stared at the child, affronted, not being able to say anything in response. Where did this child see any cuteness in this lanky, slimy individual? The almost exaggerated expression of pure dubiety on his face just made Harry giggle harder.

Unbeknownst to both, James had been focusing on the duo. And he almost didn’t admit to himself that he saw, and understood, what Harry was talking about.

James just shook his head slightly, looking away and biting his lip. He just didn’t know.

Both males got shaken out of their stupors when they heard a bright “Daddy!” Severus had to quickly readjust his hold on the child as Harry turned in his hands, reaching out to the Gryffindor. 

James didn’t have a moment to think before he suddenly had an armful of toddler, adorably grinning up at him, eyes sparkling. Harry’s attention was diverted by the red and gold tie in front of him, and he moved his small chubby hand to grab at it curiously. 

James unconsciously tightened his hold.

“So, Potter... why are you still here?  _ Waiting _ for someone?” The redhead asked, clearly trying to prompt something out of the seeker. Her eyes very obviously darted over to Severus, who met her gaze with a scorching glare.

“Well, I just, um…” James started in response, not concluding as he was distracted by Harry tugging his tie a little too hard. “Uhhh…”

“How articulate, Potter” Severus uttered dryly, a little too loud to be muttering under his breath.

James pursued his lips, attempting to not rise up to the bait, and choosing to focus on trying to get his tie back from Harry instead. Severus looked away awkwardly. The Gryffindor was apparently trying to be civil, but since their entire relationship was defined only by severe animosity, there wasn’t really anything else that connected them.

Besides the child right there of course. How that fact fell out of Severus’s mind for even a second made no sense to him. This was a  _ very big factor _ that literally changed EVERYTHING in his life! 

Severus glanced back up at the duo, finding himself grimace as he witnessed them. It also didn’t help that Harry being in Potter’s hands emphasized just how similar the two looked.

“I just- I wanted to spend more time with Harry,” James finally provided, gingerly placing a hand on the child- his  _ son’s _ \- head. 

Severus and Lily exchanged a glance, and he knew in an instance what she was going to suggest. Sadly, he didn’t respond fast enough to prevent it. 

He also may not have completely tried because, as a Slytherin, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop Lily. He knew to quit while he was ahead.

“Well, Dumbledore suggested that Sev could show Harry around the campus since it’s a free day today. Maybe you could join them?”

Harry gasped and grinned widely, resorting to nod rapidly to express his excitement. He wiggled around, forcing his daddy to reinforce his grip on the child so he wouldn’t fall. 

James, on the other hand, didn’t respond immediately. He just looked at Lily, blinking. His eyes darted over to the Slytherin, who simply broke eye contact without saying anything, which surprised James. He would have expected the other to protest considering everything that happened so far in the day. “Uhm, yeah. I’d really enjoy that,” he concluded. 

Harry squealed, his arms gripping his daddy’s. “Me and daddy and papa goin’ outside an’ we’re goin’ to play and have so much fun an’-” he continued, babbling on and on in excitement, and making Severus feel a confusion meld of emotions. He felt very heartwarmed and loving with how excited the boy was, but he also started to feel guilty as the boy went on. He knew he wouldn’t enjoy the outing as much as Harry would hope.

“Anyway, Sev,” Lily said, turning to address the Slytherin. “I’m going to stay here with Mary for now, but I think I’ll drop by your room in the afternoon. Have fun without me, and tell me everything that happens, alright?” Lily gave him a pointed look, before waving goodbye to Harry and skipping back into the main part of the office.

“Bye-bye,” Harry uttered softly, waving a small hand from his position in his Daddy’s arms, before reaching out to his gobsmacked papa, who absentmindedly took the child while looking at the redhead’s retreating back.

Next thing Severus knew, he was outside walking on the grass alongside the Great Lake with a child in his arms and motherf*cking  _ Potter _ walking next to him. No wonder everyone was staring at them.

Harry didn’t seem to mind from where he was being carried in the raven’s arms. He was waving at the people behind the trio as he peeked above his papa’s shoulder with his sparkling eyes.

Severus wanted so badly to yell at the man besides him and let all of his concerns spill onto the grass hill below, but all he could do was grit his teeth. And even that didn’t work since Harry quite easily noticed the tenseness, expressing concern and making Severus feel guilty. 

All of this turmoil because of  _ him. _

Severus could feel the Gryffindor beside him leaning closer, most likely to grab Harry (Severus couldn’t tell since his eyes were stuck to the grassy floor), but Potter was halted when Severus stopped short.

Maybe Severus was clairvoyant, or maybe he just had a gram of a terror-filled self-preserving sixth sense, but somehow Severus knew something was about to go wrong. And when he raised his head his eyes rested on a certain pair, standing far enough that he wouldn’t hear them easily but close enough for them to notice him easily, who were currently missing their leader and their pet rat. 

Severus was extremely tempted to turn around and book it, because even though he could take on the marauders if he wanted to, somehow he wasn’t feeling up to having a repeat of what happened earlier that day, where the entirety of his world turned upside down and covered him in rotting wildlife and sewage. Okay, maybe the description was a bit much, but he earned it, by Merlin!

But before he could act on his decision, he stiffened up at the blatant intrusion of a large hand on his shoulder. Just there without permission. How dare he? The raven turned his head with barely sealed contempt towards the seeker, who surprisingly was not looking at the raven. Rather, he was looking ahead towards his group of idiot Gryffindors.

“Wait here,” Potter said calmly, and before Severus could get a scathing word in, James started making his way towards the pair, leaving the Slytherin fairly gobsmacked.

Severus just stood there holding Harry, who started wiggling with his desire to be put down. The raven absentmindedly placed him down and squatted, engaging the toddler, but still not fully present. He was wary of the others, but they were unluckily out of earshot for him, leaving him a bit frustrated. 

His attention was taken off the Gryffindors at Harry’s incessant attempts to capture his papa’s regard, holding up several blades of grass and a flower up to his papa. Unknowingly, the child did an excellent job of distracting the Slytherin from the most probable imminent doom, and he even managed to almost forget about the tormentors.

Sadly, that didn’t last very long.

Severus was startled when a large foot stomped into his line of vision, subconsciously bringing Harry into his arms to protect him. 

Feeling like he was stuck moving in slow motion, his eyes travelled up the leg of the intruder to land on the face of the very livid guard dog of the moronic pranksters.

Severus could almost see the cartoonish puff of air exuding from the Gryffindor’s nostrils, but this situation was not the exaggerated anger that resulted in childish amusement. This would undoubtedly be much more crippling. “That CHILD-” 

Sirius was halted when James caught up to him and grabbed his shoulder, intending to accost his friend judging from his stern expression. However, neither of them were able to start the unquestionable yelling spout due to someone else interrupting them.

“Unkie Padfoot!” Harry called with glittering eyes from his place in Severus’s arms. This exclamation caused a reaction similar to the one earlier that day; the present marauders and Severus were shocked into silence. At least until the child started wiggling in the Slytherin’s arms from excitement.

Remus, who at this point had leisurely caught up and was standing on the other side of Sirius, merely stared at the boy, almost lost in thought. “Unkie?” he remarked softly.

Severus was startled once again when James leaned closer to him, basically jumping as he sat and jostling Harry enough to have the boy be concerned about his papa. Wow, it’s not like the emotional trauma Severus went through that morning was happening  _ again _ against every one of his conceivable wishes. 

Why can he never get a break?

Although this time Potter wasn’t being very forceful with his demands. Which was actually even more unsettling to Severus. 

Potter held his hands up, attempting to calm the panic the raven was going through. “Hey, uh, I just wanted to ask if Siri can carry him? He seems really excited to see him,” not fully being able to hide his joy. The Gryffindor was elated that his friends were seemingly in his child’s life in the future, having to bite his lip to avoid the giant smile from spreading on his face.

Severus gazed at James, still overwhelmed and tense, but it was very clear by the tightening of his grip on Harry what his response to the question was.

This no doubt miffed the dog, who started snarling at the Slytherin, stepping forward and intimidatingly hovering over him. “You sleazy, slimy snake. How  _ dare _ you act like that boy would be in danger with me, I am a  _ much better _ role model to him than any  _ Slytherin _ would be, let alone his papa  _ Snivellus _ .”

Severus’s expression hardened with each sentence said, and a sneer emerged on his face when the Gryffindor attempted to reach a hand out towards the child. He tightened his hold on his son, but it turns out that Severus didn’t need to do anything, as Harry scrunched his face and batted the Gryffindor’s arm away.

“Don’t hurt papa!” The child declared, adorably and stubbornly glaring at his godfather, who just stared back at him in utter shock. “Papa is kind,” he continued softly, wrapping his arms around his papa’s.

Sirius shook himself out of his shock, where he then tried to inform the child of the blatant lies he was clearly fed. “Harry-”

“No!” Harry cried, rubbing his face against his papa’s arm. “I’m mad at you. Say sorry to papa!”

Sirius’s calm expression started showing his trepidation. “Harry-” he attempted again.

“Say sorry!” It was clear that Harry would not allow him to continue without apologizing to the Slytherin, who himself was just watching in anxious dismay as to what was happening.

Severus watched Sirius, alarmed at what could end up happening. He didn’t want any interaction with the Gryffindor, not even a coerced apology. Though Severus would have normally enjoyed seeing the other squirm with long-coming comeuppance, this was not the time and place for it. 

Sirius's eyes shifted around, trying to determine what he should do. Once he locked eyes with Severus, however, he clearly made a decision, as he grit his teeth in anger, turned around, and stormed off towards the castle. Remus looked back at the father-son duo, before turning and following his friend.

Severus watched them retreat, before remembering that there was another member of the group still present and shifting his gaze towards the final Gryffindor. 

James had stood up, focused also on the retreating pair, before drawing his attention back at the Slytherin. “I’m sorry, uh, about him.” It seemed like James wanted to promise a change in his friend’s behavior, but he just sighed, not letting the words leave his lips.

He smiled down at Harry, with a loving expression that was so  _ foreign _ to Severus, though he knew what it was. He had lost hope that the expression would ever be shown towards him by anyone anymore.

“Bye Harry. I’ll see you again soon,” James promised lovingly, before his eyes darted up towards the other father, his smile fading, as he then turned and ran off after his friends.

Severus was left kneeling with Harry tightly clutching his arm, completely befuddled, with the boy waving at his daddy’s retreating back.


End file.
